The Demon Chronicles: Memoirs of a Demoness
by Chronian Demoness XIV
Summary: This is about Sven when he's around the age of 21. He's on an IBI mission when he rescues a young woman who was being held prisonner by a gang. Although it's in the woman's POV, Sven plays a HUGE part in the plot.
1. Chapter 1

**Memoirs of a Demoness**

**Prologue**

It was a complete accident when we met. We were both young and looking for love. _No one wants me…_ I thought. _Well, not a Human, at least._ The reason I say this is because… I'm a Demon. And I'm the last of my kind. For the time being anyway. But back to the story… Like I said before, complete accident of us meeting. My name is Suki Vollfied, or it would have been, if my fate hadn't befallen me that night. In truth, I'm only Suki Mikami, but I love him so much, I took his last name as I took my last breath. This is my story.

**Chapter 1**

He was in the IBI and on a job that involved a Big-Time gang. His part in it was to flush the gang members out of their hideout and look for any hostages or captives. Sure enough, I was locked in a room. One of many that were locked, and who's door had to be broken down. I was the only hostage there. Not to mention, the only woman there too. I had been kidnapped for entertainment reasons for their gang leader. I don't like thinking about all those nights I was enslaved for his pleasure and his pleasure only. I was beaten too. Almost every night. When they struck me, I'd scream but, I'd been a captive there for so long, that I'd lost my voice and couldn't scream anymore. But that doesn't matter now. And you'd probably rather hear my story rather than crude, sorrowful memories of mine.

On the day he found me, I was terrified. I'd heard gunfire and shouting. I scented blood and fear. I don't know how long this was going on for but soon, it quieted down and all I heard were the sounds of doors either opening or being kicked down. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, so I just huddled up in the farthest corner to the door of the room I was locked in. The banging was getting louder and louder. I'd never been so scared in my life. Just then, the door of my room was being pounded on. This door, mind you, was made of metal. Not very easy to break in. The kicking continued for several minutes until one final thud and the door flew inwards. A young man, around the same age as me, dressed in an ivory suit was standing in the doorway. He had a greyish fedora on his head and under that, he had blonde hair. As his eyes swept the room and came to land on me. They widened and a flicker of concern and anger appeared. He started approaching me. I shied back and huddled up, making myself even smaller. He saw this and immediately stopped in his tracks. His eyes softened and he spoke to me in a quiet, soothing voice.

"I'm an IBI agent so you don't have to be afraid of me." He showed me his badge. "Are you alright? Can you walk?" I nodded, for I was still hoarse.

"Okay, follow me and I'll get you out of here." He extended his hand to me and helped me off the floor. I was still terrified of him and I followed at a distance. When we got outside, there was an ambulance, some police cars and lots of IBI agents. One of them came to us and started talking to the young blonde.

"Hey Sven, who's your friend?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." Sven turned to me, "May I ask you for your name?" I looked at him, not knowing what to do. I pointed to my throat, trying to tell him I couldn't speak. He apparently understood and looked around in a cop cruiser for a pen and paper.

"Could you write your name for me please?" he inquired, handing me the items. I wrote my name on the paper. _My name is Suki Mikami. I can't talk because I lost my voice over the first few days I was being held captive. Thank you for rescuing me._ When he'd read what I'd written, he said,

"It was no problem at all, miss. I was just doing my job." He smiled at me. It was an extremely warm, comforting smile. I was still nervous though. He introduced himself as Sven Vollfied and his friend, whose name was Lloyd Goldwynne. They seemed nice enough, but I still didn't trust them. They were _men_ after all. My rescuer, Sven, led me over to the ambulance where the medics intently saw to my wounds, cuts and bruises. I was scared there too, for I didn't want them to discover my secret. Who knows what they might have done to me if they found out I was a Demon? All I know is that it wouldn't have been good, that's for sure.

After the medics had disinfected my cuts, they told me to stay with them because they wanted to take me to the hospital for further treatment and some x-rays. It wasn't too long before they sat me down in the ambulance, loaded some IBI officers who had been shot into the vehicle and started the engine. They set off down the long gravel driveway and turned onto the highway in the direction of the hospital. It was a long time before we even began to see signs of civilisation. My guess is that several hours had passed then and several more hours had passed before we reached the hospital. The IBI agents weren't doing so well and I did everything I could to help the paramedics keep them alive and in comfort.

By the time we got to the hospital, we'd already lost one of the agents. The medics put the dead agent into a large black body bag, put that on an old hospital gurney and wheeled it down a hallway that reeked of death. Some nurses came and escorted me and the remaining two agents into the hospital and took care of us. They took x-rays of me and found a few cracked bones but that was it. They told me they were going to keep me in the hospital for a while, until my bones, cuts, bruises and my throat healed.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	2. Chapter 2

Alright... Quick recap... So, Sven found Suki and freed her.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Sven Vollfied or Lloyd Goldwyne. They're owned by Kentaro Yabuki. The last name Mikami belongs to the man who wrote Death Note (his name escapes me at the moment. I'm sorry.)  
Plot, script, Suki, everything else is all mine.

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**Chapter 2**

The days passed and I was improving quite rapidly. It was my Demonic blood, obviously. But that's not the point. The point is that that Sven guy came to visit me. He brought a bouquet of a dozen roses too! We didn't even know each other and he brings me flowers! What a guy.

"How're you doing, miss Mikami?" he asked upon entering the room. " Are they treating you well?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I murmured, "The nurses aren't so bad, but the medicine is another story." We both laughed at the little joke I'd made. Then, Sven leaned out the door and started speaking to a nurse. She nodded and smiled then walked off. When she came back, she had a vase and some scissors. She measured the roses in the vase then cut the stems so they would fit. She took the vase and filled it with water before she finally placed it on the stand next to my hospital bed. Then she left me and Sven alone. The silence was sort of awkward so I decided to make small talk.

"Thanks for the flowers." I tried.

"No problem!" he smiled, "It's what any Gentleman would have done."

"Even if he doesn't know who the bedridden is?"

"Yeah. We can't help it."

"What if I'd have been a man?" I challenged.

"Then I wouldn't have brought you flowers, or," he came over to me, took my hand and bent down. "done this." He kissed my hand. He _kissed_ my hand! Only Gentlemen do that! I couldn't help blushing. He chuckled at my reaction to his action.

"I like you." He grinned, "We should get together sometime when you're out of here." I didn't know what to say.

"Uh… sure." I stuttered. A knock on the door came and a nurse leaned in.

"Excuse me sir," she said softly, "visiting hours are over for today, you can come back tomorrow if you'd like." Sven nodded to her then looked back at me.

"Get better soon, miss Mikami." He said.

"You can just call me Suki if you'd like." I smiled, "It's a lot less formal."

"Very well then, Suki." He laughed, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Sure!" We said our goodbyes and he left. Another nurse came in to check on my healing wounds and gave me medicine and supper. We exchanged a few words before the drugs kicked in and I found myself dozing off.

The next morning, I awoke to see Sven sitting in a chair in the corner of my hospital room.

"Sven…?" I mumbled. He looked up. "What are you doing here…?"

"Oh! Suki." He sounded surprised. "I'm sorry. I had to stay in here. There was this doctor, you see, and I didn't like the way he was looking at you when you were asleep, and—"

"Sven," I chuckled. "It's okay. I understand. You, being the Gentleman you are, saw that it was your duty to protect me from some sick man that might have…" I trailed off and he looked at me curiously.

"Some sick man that might have what?" he coaxed. I looked at him and our eyes met for a split second before I lowered my gaze, reminding myself that this was a man I was talking to and remembering what a bunch of _men_ had done to me only a few short days ago.

"It doesn't matter now." I said briskly. "It's over now and I can't get back what I lost because of them." He got up, out of his chair, walked up to the side of the bed, took off his fedora and lifted my chin with one hand.

"Suki…" he said softly. I looked deep into his eyes. His beautiful, perfect topaz eyes that were so intense. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. I'll protect you. No matter what." Then, he leaned over me and _kissed_ me. Even though he only kissed me on my cheek, he still _kissed_ me… _again_! I was stunned. So stunned, in fact that I'm more than sure my heart stopped for a moment. When I came to my senses again, Sven was chuckling softly.

"W-what was that for?" I stumbled.

"I'm sorry." He grinned. "I couldn't help it." When the shock had passed, we kept speaking of things like his work and how the weather was and random topics like that. We spoke until visiting hours were over once again. And day after day, until I got better he kept coming back with a dozen roses each time.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	3. Chapter 3

Recap: Sven visited Suki in the hospital.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Black Cat characters or the last name "Mikami".

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****Chapter 3**

If you've ever seen the movie "Made of Honor", then you'd get the general idea on what our friendship was after I got out of the hospital. We were best friends just like the man and the woman in that movie. We spent as much time together as possible. We went to fancy IBI dinner parties together, we went to movies, we were inseparable. One day, Sven invited me to his apartment for supper. When I'd arrived, everything was ready. He'd cooked and set up the table for us.

"Welcome to my… humble abode…?" he said when he opened the door.

"Humble?" I joked. "This is huge. And very nice too!"

"You think?"

"Yes. There's so much room…" I breathed, taking in the sight of his huge bachelor pad as he led me inside. He showed me to a spiralling metal staircase and followed me up. When we'd gotten to the top of them, there was a small door that was opened by Sven. I stepped through and was instantly on the top of the building. There was a pathway of small tea-candles on either way and a red carpet of fragrant rose petals scattered thickly in between the two rows of flickering lights.

"If you could just follow the path, miss, it will lead you to your dining area." He said in a mock Jeeve's voice. We both chuckled at this and walked slowly along in the candlelight. At the end of the path was a small table with a white cloth covering. Two plates and cutlery for two were set out as well as two empty wineglasses and a very expensive bottle of French wine were on the table also. Sven walked me up to one seat, pulled it out for me and let me settle in before going back down the path, through the little door and into his apartment. A few minutes later, he came back with a silver tray that had very fancy looking pasta in a bowl. He placed the bowl in the middle of the table and went, once again, into his apartment, only to come back less than a minute later with two three-pronged candelabras, set them on either side of the round table and lit them each, one by one. He smiled at me.

"Bon appetite." He took my plate and scooped some pasta onto it and paused before opening the wine.

"Suki, how old are you, really?"

"I'm nineteen." I said. "Why?"

"Just making sure." He opened the wine and poured it into my empty glass. "You just look way younger than nineteen."

"Really…?"

"Yeah. I'm not even joking."

"So, Sven…?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"How old are _you_?"

"Me? I'm twenty-one." He looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." I took a bite of the pasta. I was amazed at how good it was. I'd never tasted anything like it in my entire life.

"Sven, this is really good." I took another bite, savoured it then swallowed before continuing. "How did you do this?"

"Secret family recipe!" he grinned. "Just kidding! I just took some spaghetti noodles, cooked them and made a sauce with lots of herbs and natural spices. The meatballs are actually chicken breast, not ground beef. I cooked them the same way as you make butter chicken. When they were done, I chopped them up and threw them into the sauce and put that over the spaghetti noodles."

"Wow." I said. "You're a great cook." We continued in friendly conversation for the rest of our dinner. When we were done, we brought the stuff back into his apartment and did the dishes. Then, Sven walked me home, just to make sure I got back safely.

The next afternoon, Sven showed up at my house and we went for a long walk in the woods surrounding my territory. I'm sorry, I mean my _property_. I took him to the glade that I'd found upon exploring when I'd first arrived.

"Wow…" he breathed. "Where are we…?"

"It's my getaway place." I replied quietly.

"Your getaway place?" Sven looked curious.

"Yeah, you know. My safe haven? I come here when I'm sad or lonely or just to find peace."

"I see…" he murmured, looking around at the beautiful pond and island surrounded by ancient willow trees. "This is amazing, Su. Your lucky to have a place like this."

"You can have it too, if you want. I don't mind sharing with my best friend." Sven was silent for a while.

"Suki," he began, "I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about what, Svenny?"

"How is it possible…?"

"How's what possible?"

"How is it possible for you to be so beautiful? So perfect? So…" he paused as he searched for the word he was looking for. "So innocent?"

"Sven, what are you talking about?" I asked, very confused now.

"Suki," he looked at me sympathetically, "I think we should stop being friends." I was shocked at what he'd just said and could only stutter a reply.

"W-what do you mean 'stop being friends'!?"

"I mean, Suki," he held my hands in his. "I want to be more than just friends." I looked at him confusedly. He smiled that warm smile, his eyes like butterscotch toffee.

"I'm in love with you, Suki Mikami. My heart belongs to you now."

"Sven, I—" he silenced me with a kiss. A kiss… _ON THE LIPS_!!! He wrapped his arms around me and kept kissing me. I pulled back, terrified at Sven's sudden action.

"Suki…" Sven said gently, " What's wrong?"

"I can't, Sven. I can't." He looked at me curiously.

"Suki, it was only a kiss." He murmured.

"Sven… No. I can't do this. Not after what that gang did to me."

"Suki Mikami." Said the IBI officer. "I promise you, I'll never _ever _let anything like that happen to you ever again. I swear on the Gentleman Code." I looked at him sceptically. He looked at me very truthfully.

"Suki, do you think I'd lie to _you_? Of all people?"

"I'm scared, Sven." I started crying, "When I was taken hostage, they changed me. Emotionally. I'm scared of men. And as much as I hate to say it, I'm scared of you too. Especially right now." He looked at me apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Suki…" he took my hand and led me to an old fallen log where we both sat down. "I wasn't thinking. You're just… so beautiful. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you forgive me?" I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around my shoulder. He rested his head against mine and soothed me quietly. He kissed me on my cheek and told me everything was going to be okay. After a while, I raised my head and looked deep into his eyes. I saw the intensity of his love and his desire to make me his. For the first time since I met Sven, I felt the same things he was feeling. I couldn't stand it anymore. I just had to give in. I brought my hand around his head and entwined my fingers in his hair. I leaned towards him and within split seconds, we were kissing each other again and again. Before we knew it, we were in the grass, kissing and kissing again. We rolled around… straight into the lagoon. When we resurfaced, we were laughing softly and we kissed once more then swam to the island in the middle of the watery glade. In the centre was a huge willow tree with a hollowed out trunk. It was so big that five people would be able to lay down inside it with plenty of room to spare. We crawled onto the grass, went into the willow trunk and took off our sodden clothes. Once more, Sven wrapped his arms around my body and kissed me over and over again.

"I love you too Sven…" Was all I could say before having his lips press against mine in a long, passionate kiss that would seal our fate forever.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	4. Chapter 4

Recap: Suki is out of the hospital and is invited over to Sven's apartment. Sven and Su are hanging out together on Su's turf when Sven declairs his love. They end up in a tree trunk together and... Yeah...

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 4**

The morning breeze was warm and it brought the scents of a lush forest and water. There was something different on it too though. It was oddly familiar yet unfamiliar as well. It was very lulling. And it was making me very drowsy. I opened my eyes and whom did I see? I saw Sven! I looked around to see that we were in a hollowed-out tree and also… our clothes were strewn outside on the grass! You can imagine how confused I was. I was even more shocked when I finally felt it. Sven's arms were wrapped around my body! My bare, clotheless body! I thought hard about what had happened the night before. Then, it came to me. We'd done it. We'd done _it_! I couldn't believe it. I groaned and Sven woke up.

"Morning, Su." He whispered in my ear. I couldn't reply. He seemed concerned and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Suki, are you all right?" he asked me. I just looked at him and nodded. He settled down once again onto his back and pulled me closer to him. He kissed me and it all came back to me. All the memories of what had happened last night. I pressed my body against his and took a deep breath of his amazing scent. I tried to stop it but I couldn't resist. I'd just let a purr of happiness slip out.

"What are you doing, Suki?" he asked me.

"Uh… uh… n-nothing!" I stammered. He looked at me.

"Su…" he coaxed, "are you hiding something from me?" I couldn't lie to him but I couldn't give my secret away either. I thought about it for a while and decided to confide in him.

"Sven," I began, "if you promise you won't tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you, I'll reveal to you, my biggest secret."

"Su, you know you can tell me anything and it will be safe." I took a deep breath before starting.

"Sven, I'm… I'm a…" I couldn't say it. He looked at me patiently. "I'm a Demon." I finally mumbled. He looked at me with an expressionless face and sat up.

"Suki, you aren't a Demon." He soothed. I groaned again.

"I wish that was true, Sven." I said. "If you want proof, you'll get proof. I just don't want you to abandon me."

"I'll never abandon you, Suki. I love you too much." I sighed then closed my eyes and summoned my True Form to appear. I felt my elegant Caracal-Demon ears and tail sprout out. I also felt my canine teeth and nails elongate into deadly fangs and claws. I heard Sven gasp and I felt him tense. I opened my eyes.

"I told you." I muttered. "I'll let you go if you promise not to tell." He shook his head as if to clear it before finding his voice.

"Suki… I thought you were joking…" his eyes were wide with surprise. I bowed my head in shame.

"I'm sorry Sven." I could feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Sorry?" asked Sven quietly. "What do you have to be sorry about? You're gorgeous, even as a Demon. I still love you more than anything. Nothing will ever change that."

"Well," I said, "that's not all."

"What do you mean?" he asked me.

"I mean this isn't my only form." I was tracing odd shapes on the packed dirt floor of our hollowed out tree trunk. "I can shape-shift into a Youkai Beast too."

"Youkai Beast?" Sven looked at me questioningly.

"Youkai is the Demon term for your maximum power coming out. A Youkai Beast is when you channel that power into you're soul and it brings out the beast inside you. I'm a Caracal-Demon; so, I'd transform into a giant Caracal." Sven nodded. He seemed confused.

"You don't understand, do you?" I assumed. He shook his head no. "I'll explain it to you in more depth later. That is, if you decide to stay…" I looked at him and he looked steadily back at me. He reached out and placed his hand on my cheek, wiping away my tears.

"Didn't I make myself clear enough to you when I said I was never going to abandon you?" he murmured to me. He leaned towards me and kissed me. Right then and there, I knew that he meant what he said and knew the depth and intensity of his love for me once again and kissed back.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	5. Chapter 5

**Memoirs of a Demoness**

**Prologue**

It was a complete accident when we met. We were both young and looking for love. _No one wants me…_ I thought. _Well, not a Human, at least._ The reason I say this is because… I'm a Demon. And I'm the last of my kind. For the time being anyway. But back to the story… Like I said before, complete accident of us meeting. My name is Suki Vollfied, or it would have been, if my fate hadn't befallen me that night. In truth, I'm only Suki Mikami, but I love him so much, I took his last name as I took my last breath. This is my story.

Chapter 1

He was in the IBI and on a job that involved a Big-Time gang. His part in it was to flush the gang members out of their hideout and look for any hostages or captives. Sure enough, I was locked in a room. One of many that were locked, and who's door had to be broken down. I was the only hostage there. Not to mention, the only woman there too. I had been kidnapped for entertainment reasons for their gang leader. I don't like thinking about all those nights I was enslaved for his pleasure and his pleasure only. I was beaten too. Almost every night. When they struck me, I'd scream but, I'd been a captive there for so long, that I'd lost my voice and couldn't scream anymore. But that doesn't matter now. And you'd probably rather hear my story rather than crude, sorrowful memories of mine.

On the day he found me, I was terrified. I'd heard gunfire and shouting. I scented blood and fear. I don't know how long this was going on for but soon, it quieted down and all I heard were the sounds of doors either opening or being kicked down. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, so I just huddled up in the farthest corner to the door of the room I was locked in. The banging was getting louder and louder. I'd never been so scared in my life. Just then, the door of my room was being pounded on. This door, mind you, was made of metal. Not very easy to break in. The kicking continued for several minutes until one final thud and the door flew inwards. A young man, around the same age as me, dressed in an ivory suit was standing in the doorway. He had a greyish fedora on his head and under that, he had blonde hair. As his eyes swept the room and came to land on me. They widened and a flicker of concern and anger appeared. He started approaching me. I shied back and huddled up, making myself even smaller. He saw this and immediately stopped in his tracks. His eyes softened and he spoke to me in a quiet, soothing voice.

"I'm an IBI agent so you don't have to be afraid of me." He showed me his badge. "Are you alright? Can you walk?" I nodded, for I was still hoarse.

"Okay, follow me and I'll get you out of here." He extended his hand to me and helped me off the floor. I was still terrified of him and I followed at a distance. When we got outside, there was an ambulance, some police cars and lots of IBI agents. One of them came to us and started talking to the young blonde.

"Hey Sven, who's your friend?" he asked.

"I'm not sure." Sven turned to me, "May I ask you for your name?" I looked at him, not knowing what to do. I pointed to my throat, trying to tell him I couldn't speak. He apparently understood and looked around in a cop cruiser for a pen and paper.

"Could you write your name for me please?" he inquired, handing me the items. I wrote my name on the paper. _My name is Suki Mikami. I can't talk because I lost my voice over the first few days I was being held captive. Thank you for rescuing me._ When he'd read what I'd written, he said,

"It was no problem at all, miss. I was just doing my job." He smiled at me. It was an extremely warm, comforting smile. I was still nervous though. He introduced himself as Sven Vollfied and his friend, whose name was Lloyd Goldwynne. They seemed nice enough, but I still didn't trust them. They were _men_ after all. My rescuer, Sven, led me over to the ambulance where the medics intently saw to my wounds, cuts and bruises. I was scared there too, for I didn't want them to discover my secret. Who knows what they might have done to me if they found out I was a Demon? All I know is that it wouldn't have been good, that's for sure.

After the medics had disinfected my cuts, they told me to stay with them because they wanted to take me to the hospital for further treatment and some x-rays. It wasn't too long before they sat me down in the ambulance, loaded some IBI officers who had been shot into the vehicle and started the engine. They set off down the long gravel driveway and turned onto the highway in the direction of the hospital. It was a long time before we even began to see signs of civilisation. My guess is that several hours had passed then and several more hours had passed before we reached the hospital. The IBI agents weren't doing so well and I did everything I could to help the paramedics keep them alive and in comfort.

By the time we got to the hospital, we'd already lost one of the agents. The medics put the dead agent into a large black body bag, put that on an old hospital gurney and wheeled it down a hallway that reeked of death. Some nurses came and escorted me and the remaining two agents into the hospital and took care of us. They took x-rays of me and found a few cracked bones but that was it. They told me they were going to keep me in the hospital for a while, until my bones, cuts, bruises and my throat healed.

Chapter 2

The days passed and I was improving quite rapidly. It was my Demonic blood, obviously. But that's not the point. The point is that that Sven guy came to visit me. He brought a bouquet of a dozen roses too! We didn't even know each other and he brings me flowers! What a guy.

"How're you doing, miss Mikami?" he asked upon entering the room. " Are they treating you well?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I murmured, "The nurses aren't so bad, but the medicine is another story." We both laughed at the little joke I'd made. Then, Sven leaned out the door and started speaking to a nurse. She nodded and smiled then walked off. When she came back, she had a vase and some scissors. She measured the roses in the vase then cut the stems so they would fit. She took the vase and filled it with water before she finally placed it on the stand next to my hospital bed. Then she left me and Sven alone. The silence was sort of awkward so I decided to make small talk.

"Thanks for the flowers." I tried.

"No problem!" he smiled, "It's what any Gentleman would have done."

"Even if he doesn't know who the bedridden is?"

"Yeah. We can't help it."

"What if I'd have been a man?" I challenged.

"Then I wouldn't have brought you flowers, or," he came over to me, took my hand and bent down. "done this." He kissed my hand. He _kissed_ my hand! Only Gentlemen do that! I couldn't help blushing. He chuckled at my reaction to his action.

"I like you." He grinned, "We should get together sometime when you're out of here." I didn't know what to say.

"Uh… sure." I stuttered. A knock on the door came and a nurse leaned in.

"Excuse me sir," she said softly, "visiting hours are over for today, you can come back tomorrow if you'd like." Sven nodded to her then looked back at me.

"Get better soon, miss Mikami." He said.

"You can just call me Suki if you'd like." I smiled, "It's a lot less formal."

"Very well then, Suki." He laughed, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Sure!" We said our goodbyes and he left. Another nurse came in to check on my healing wounds and gave me medicine and supper. We exchanged a few words before the drugs kicked in and I found myself dozing off.

The next morning, I awoke to see Sven sitting in a chair in the corner of my hospital room.

"Sven…?" I mumbled. He looked up. "What are you doing here…?"

"Oh! Suki." He sounded surprised. "I'm sorry. I had to stay in here. There was this doctor, you see, and I didn't like the way he was looking at you when you were asleep, and—"

"Sven," I chuckled. "It's okay. I understand. You, being the Gentleman you are, saw that it was your duty to protect me from some sick man that might have…" I trailed off and he looked at me curiously.

"Some sick man that might have what?" he coaxed. I looked at him and our eyes met for a split second before I lowered my gaze, reminding myself that this was a man I was talking to and remembering what a bunch of _men_ had done to me only a few short days ago.

"It doesn't matter now." I said briskly. "It's over now and I can't get back what I lost because of them." He got up, out of his chair, walked up to the side of the bed, took off his fedora and lifted my chin with one hand.

"Suki…" he said softly. I looked deep into his eyes. His beautiful, perfect topaz eyes that were so intense. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. I'll protect you. No matter what." Then, he leaned over me and _kissed_ me. Even though he only kissed me on my cheek, he still _kissed_ me… _again_! I was stunned. So stunned, in fact that I'm more than sure my heart stopped for a moment. When I came to my senses again, Sven was chuckling softly.

"W-what was that for?" I stumbled.

"I'm sorry." He grinned. "I couldn't help it." When the shock had passed, we kept speaking of things like his work and how the weather was and random topics like that. We spoke until visiting hours were over once again. And day after day, until I got better he kept coming back with a dozen roses each time.

Chapter 3

If you've ever seen the movie "Made of Honor", then you'd get the general idea on what our friendship was after I got out of the hospital. We were best friends just like the man and the woman in that movie. We spent as much time together as possible. We went to fancy IBI dinner parties together, we went to movies, we were inseparable. One day, Sven invited me to his apartment for supper. When I'd arrived, everything was ready. He'd cooked and set up the table for us.

"Welcome to my… humble abode…?" he said when he opened the door.

"Humble?" I joked. "This is huge. And very nice too!"

"You think?"

"Yes. There's so much room…" I breathed, taking in the sight of his huge bachelor pad as he led me inside. He showed me to a spiralling metal staircase and followed me up. When we'd gotten to the top of them, there was a small door that was opened by Sven. I stepped through and was instantly on the top of the building. There was a pathway of small tea-candles on either way and a red carpet of fragrant rose petals scattered thickly in between the two rows of flickering lights.

"If you could just follow the path, miss, it will lead you to your dining area." He said in a mock Jeeve's voice. We both chuckled at this and walked slowly along in the candlelight. At the end of the path was a small table with a white cloth covering. Two plates and cutlery for two were set out as well as two empty wineglasses and a very expensive bottle of French wine were on the table also. Sven walked me up to one seat, pulled it out for me and let me settle in before going back down the path, through the little door and into his apartment. A few minutes later, he came back with a silver tray that had very fancy looking pasta in a bowl. He placed the bowl in the middle of the table and went, once again, into his apartment, only to come back less than a minute later with two three-pronged candelabras, set them on either side of the round table and lit them each, one by one. He smiled at me.

"Bon appetite." He took my plate and scooped some pasta onto it and paused before opening the wine.

"Suki, how old are you, really?"

"I'm nineteen." I said. "Why?"

"Just making sure." He opened the wine and poured it into my empty glass. "You just look way younger than nineteen."

"Really…?"

"Yeah. I'm not even joking."

"So, Sven…?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"How old are _you_?"

"Me? I'm twenty-one." He looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." I took a bite of the pasta. I was amazed at how good it was. I'd never tasted anything like it in my entire life.

"Sven, this is really good." I took another bite, savoured it then swallowed before continuing. "How did you do this?"

"Secret family recipe!" he grinned. "Just kidding! I just took some spaghetti noodles, cooked them and made a sauce with lots of herbs and natural spices. The meatballs are actually chicken breast, not ground beef. I cooked them the same way as you make butter chicken. When they were done, I chopped them up and threw them into the sauce and put that over the spaghetti noodles."

"Wow." I said. "You're a great cook." We continued in friendly conversation for the rest of our dinner. When we were done, we brought the stuff back into his apartment and did the dishes. Then, Sven walked me home, just to make sure I got back safely.

The next afternoon, Sven showed up at my house and we went for a long walk in the woods surrounding my territory. I'm sorry, I mean my _property_. I took him to the glade that I'd found upon exploring when I'd first arrived.

"Wow…" he breathed. "Where are we…?"

"It's my getaway place." I replied quietly.

"Your getaway place?" Sven looked curious.

"Yeah, you know. My safe haven? I come here when I'm sad or lonely or just to find peace."

"I see…" he murmured, looking around at the beautiful pond and island surrounded by ancient willow trees. "This is amazing, Su. Your lucky to have a place like this."

"You can have it too, if you want. I don't mind sharing with my best friend." Sven was silent for a while.

"Suki," he began, "I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about what, Svenny?"

"How is it possible…?"

"How's what possible?"

"How is it possible for you to be so beautiful? So perfect? So…" he paused as he searched for the word he was looking for. "So innocent?"

"Sven, what are you talking about?" I asked, very confused now.

"Suki," he looked at me sympathetically, "I think we should stop being friends." I was shocked at what he'd just said and could only stutter a reply.

"W-what do you mean 'stop being friends'!?"

"I mean, Suki," he held my hands in his. "I want to be more than just friends." I looked at him confusedly. He smiled that warm smile, his eyes like butterscotch toffee.

"I'm in love with you, Suki Mikami. My heart belongs to you now."

"Sven, I—" he silenced me with a kiss. A kiss… _ON THE LIPS_!!! He wrapped his arms around me and kept kissing me. I pulled back, terrified at Sven's sudden action.

"Suki…" Sven said gently, " What's wrong?"

"I can't, Sven. I can't." He looked at me curiously.

"Suki, it was only a kiss." He murmured.

"Sven… No. I can't do this. Not after what that gang did to me."

"Suki Mikami." Said the IBI officer. "I promise you, I'll never _ever _let anything like that happen to you ever again. I swear on the Gentleman Code." I looked at him sceptically. He looked at me very truthfully.

"Suki, do you think I'd lie to _you_? Of all people?"

"I'm scared, Sven." I started crying, "When I was taken hostage, they changed me. Emotionally. I'm scared of men. And as much as I hate to say it, I'm scared of you too. Especially right now." He looked at me apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Suki…" he took my hand and led me to an old fallen log where we both sat down. "I wasn't thinking. You're just… so beautiful. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you forgive me?" I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around my shoulder. He rested his head against mine and soothed me quietly. He kissed me on my cheek and told me everything was going to be okay. After a while, I raised my head and looked deep into his eyes. I saw the intensity of his love and his desire to make me his. For the first time since I met Sven, I felt the same things he was feeling. I couldn't stand it anymore. I just had to give in. I brought my hand around his head and entwined my fingers in his hair. I leaned towards him and within split seconds, we were kissing each other again and again. Before we knew it, we were in the grass, kissing and kissing again. We rolled around… straight into the lagoon. When we resurfaced, we were laughing softly and we kissed once more then swam to the island in the middle of the watery glade. In the centre was a huge willow tree with a hollowed out trunk. It was so big that five people would be able to lay down inside it with plenty of room to spare. We crawled onto the grass, went into the willow trunk and took off our sodden clothes. Once more, Sven wrapped his arms around my body and kissed me over and over again.

"I love you too Sven…" Was all I could say before having his lips press against mine in a long, passionate kiss that would seal our fate forever.

Chapter 4

The morning breeze was warm and it brought the scents of a lush forest and water. There was something different on it too though. It was oddly familiar yet unfamiliar as well. It was very lulling. And it was making me very drowsy. I opened my eyes and whom did I see? I saw Sven! I looked around to see that we were in a hollowed-out tree and also… our clothes were strewn outside on the grass! You can imagine how confused I was. I was even more shocked when I finally felt it. Sven's arms were wrapped around my body! My bare, clotheless body! I thought hard about what had happened the night before. Then, it came to me. We'd done it. We'd done _it_! I couldn't believe it. I groaned and Sven woke up.

"Morning, Su." He whispered in my ear. I couldn't reply. He seemed concerned and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Suki, are you all right?" he asked me. I just looked at him and nodded. He settled down once again onto his back and pulled me closer to him. He kissed me and it all came back to me. All the memories of what had happened last night. I pressed my body against his and took a deep breath of his amazing scent. I tried to stop it but I couldn't resist. I'd just let a purr of happiness slip out.

"What are you doing, Suki?" he asked me.

"Uh… uh… n-nothing!" I stammered. He looked at me.

"Su…" he coaxed, "are you hiding something from me?" I couldn't lie to him but I couldn't give my secret away either. I thought about it for a while and decided to confide in him.

"Sven," I began, "if you promise you won't tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you, I'll reveal to you, my biggest secret."

"Su, you know you can tell me anything and it will be safe." I took a deep breath before starting.

"Sven, I'm… I'm a…" I couldn't say it. He looked at me patiently. "I'm a Demon." I finally mumbled. He looked at me with an expressionless face and sat up.

"Suki, you aren't a Demon." He soothed. I groaned again.

"I wish that was true, Sven." I said. "If you want proof, you'll get proof. I just don't want you to abandon me."

"I'll never abandon you, Suki. I love you too much." I sighed then closed my eyes and summoned my True Form to appear. I felt my elegant Caracal-Demon ears and tail sprout out. I also felt my canine teeth and nails elongate into deadly fangs and claws. I heard Sven gasp and I felt him tense. I opened my eyes.

"I told you." I muttered. "I'll let you go if you promise not to tell." He shook his head as if to clear it before finding his voice.

"Suki… I thought you were joking…" his eyes were wide with surprise. I bowed my head in shame.

"I'm sorry Sven." I could feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Sorry?" asked Sven quietly. "What do you have to be sorry about? You're gorgeous, even as a Demon. I still love you more than anything. Nothing will ever change that."

"Well," I said, "that's not all."

"What do you mean?" he asked me.

"I mean this isn't my only form." I was tracing odd shapes on the packed dirt floor of our hollowed out tree trunk. "I can shape-shift into a Youkai Beast too."

"Youkai Beast?" Sven looked at me questioningly.

"Youkai is the Demon term for your maximum power coming out. A Youkai Beast is when you channel that power into you're soul and it brings out the beast inside you. I'm a Caracal-Demon; so, I'd transform into a giant Caracal." Sven nodded. He seemed confused.

"You don't understand, do you?" I assumed. He shook his head no. "I'll explain it to you in more depth later. That is, if you decide to stay…" I looked at him and he looked steadily back at me. He reached out and placed his hand on my cheek, wiping away my tears.

"Didn't I make myself clear enough to you when I said I was never going to abandon you?" he murmured to me. He leaned towards me and kissed me. Right then and there, I knew that he meant what he said and knew the depth and intensity of his love for me once again and kissed back.

Chapter 5

Sven and I were now a couple. We had been since the day we'd… uh… Well, you get the point. It had been a few months since we'd decided to be lovers instead of just friends and we thought it would be appropriate if we started living together. So before Sven moved in with me, he sold his apartment and used the money to buy a very expensive, custom-made king-sized bed for us. Living with him was like living with a very talented, charming, passionate, good-looking, Gentlemanly Greek God. I swear, I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. But, according to what my mother had told me when I was little, Demons can't go there because Angels and Demons don't mix. Anyway, that doesn't matter. Back to the point. Every night for supper, Sven would take me out to a fancy five-star restaurant or he'd just cook a gourmet meal himself. He did the second one more often and it always tasted better than the restaurants anyway. Sometimes though, I'd have to fend for myself for a few days because Sven was, after all, still and active IBI agent and he still had to work to earn money for us to live off. One chilly evening in February, almost more than a year since we'd been together, Sven and I were walking around in a public park. We were strolling along in the crisp winter breeze, side by side, gloved fingers entwined together. 'Jack Frost, nipping at our noses' if you will. The sun was going down and it cast a beautiful orangie-gold hue to the whiteness around us. It seemed too good to be true. And it was. Sven stopped and stood in front of me, making me stop as well.

"Suki," said Sven in a quiet tone, "I have to tell you something."

"What's wrong, Sven Babe?" I asked. He looked into my eyes.

"The IBI needs me to go on an investigation. This one's pretty dangerous and they need all their top agents to be there when the mission is executed."

"Okay, what's the big deal?" I asked, "You're always going on missions."

"The point of me telling you this is that I'll be gone for a few months. _Years_ actually." He added.

"Years?" I was shocked. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." He replied flatly. We were both silent. We just kept walking until the moon was high in the night sky then we turned around and went home for our last night together for a few _years_.

Back at home, we were finishing a late supper at around 11:30 PM. After we'd put the dishes away, we went and changed for bed. Sven looked at me.

"Hey," he soothed, "If it's our last night together for a while, why don't we make the most of it?" I looked at him sadly. He walked over to me; arms open and extended, ready to wind me in a comforting embrace. I laid my head on his chest, hearing his strong steady heart beating in time with mine. He placed a hand on the back of my head and stroked my hair with his thumb while he pressed me against him with his other arm. He bowed his head and planted a kiss on the top of mine. Then he rested his cheek on the spot where he'd previously kissed me. A few minutes passed before I finally but grudgingly pushed myself away from him and went over to my dresser, opened one of the drawers, grabbed what I was looking for and went to the bathroom to change.

"Sven, could you do me a huge favor?" I asked.

"Anything for you, my Angel." He called back.

"Could you go downstairs and check the stove please? I think I left the burner on." He called back his agreement and I heard him saunter down the stairs then into the kitchen. I had to hurry because he'd be back any minute. I stripped off the rest of my clothes, put on the lingerie as fast as I could, darted out to the bedroom and settled myself on the bed. I looked around for something else that might be enticing to him and I spied his fedora. I quickly snatched it up and put it on my head. I could hear Sven climbing the stairs and walk down the hall. As he was telling me the burner was off, he opened the bedroom door and his jaw dropped. He couldn't even finish his sentence. He was speechless when he saw me lounging on the bed. He stood there, dumbfounded for at least five minutes.

"You want it?" I challenged.

"Oh ho ho ho _yeah_!" he grinned.

"Then come and get it!" I smirked. Sven was still dressed in his pants and button-up shirt. He unbuttoned the shirt and took it off as he walked up to the foot of the bed and climbed on. He crawled over to where I was reclining and leaned over me. I felt him place his right hand on the back of my waist before it slipped up my back to the spot where the thin string, that was keeping the lingerie top secured. He leaned in close to kiss me long and slow.

"Have I ever told you just how sexy you are?" he smirked.

"Just shut up and kiss me already." I chuckled as I brought an arm around his neck and embraced him. Then we let ourselves go to make the most of the last night we'd be together for a few years. In reality, it would be our final night of indulgence for the rest of our lives.

Chapter 6

When I awoke the next morning, Sven was watching me. I gazed back into his eyes. I nestled myself close to him and closed my eyes once again to enjoy the last moments we'd share together. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me closer against his bare chest.

"I love you, so, so much, ma Chérie." He breathed. "Much more than you'll ever know." I tried not to but it couldn't be helped. I felt my eyes start stinging and then the tears came. My ragged breathing racked my entire body and made me shudder.

"Su…" soothed Sven. "It's going to be okay…"

"No…" I whispered. "No. You can't. Please, don't leave me…" Sven cradled me in his arms.

"Oh, Suki…" he whispered back to me. "Shh… It's okay. It's okay."

"Sven…" I was sobbing uncontrollably now. "You promised me, no matter what, you said you would never abandon me."

"Suki, I'm _not_ abandoning you. You _know_ that."

"_Sven!_" I yelled at him. "You promised me. You _promised_ me you'd _never leave me! _Not for _anything_!" Sven didn't say anything. He just held me closer and tighter.

Later that day, the IBI bastards came to take Sven away from me. I felt an incredible urge to kill them but I controlled it and after Sven was taken away, I took it out on a thick-trunked oak tree.

After I destroyed the trunk, I crept back into my house and went to the bedroom where I curled up on Sven's side of the bed with his fedora and a blood red rose that he'd left me with and cried myself to sleep.

Chapter 7

I was startled out of a fitful slumber when the phone rang. I rubbed my tired eyes and looked over to the clock on the nightstand. 9:15PM it read. I'd slept in all day! Unbelievable! The phone was still ringing so I answered it.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Su, you sound tired. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"SVEN!" I exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the IBI field base right now. We were just briefed on what to expect. And believe me, Hon. It's not pretty." He sounded very grave. This made me even more worried about him.

"Who're you after?" I asked.

"Druggies and drug-dealers."

"Oh my God." I breathed. "Sven, be careful."

"I will. I promise you that."

"Promise." I scoffed. "What good are those nowadays?"

"Su, don't be like that. You know I didn't have a choice." I remained silent. Sven thought of something to say to cheer me up.

"Uh… I'm gonna miss you in bed tonight…?" he attempted.

"I already miss you more than you can imagine." I retorted.

"Oh, Lloyd says hi."

"Hi Lloyd." I said flatly. We were silent for a few moments.

"Dammit!" cursed Sven. "I'm sorry Su, the chief says I have to go."

"Fine." I said. "Go then, but be careful."

"Don't worry Angel, I'll be fine with you guarding my heart."

"Guarding your heart? What are you talking about, Sven Babe?"

"My heart." He said again. "I can't find it right now, so I assume it's back there with you." We both chuckled at his pun.

"Aww… Shit!" He cursed again. "Look Hon, if I don't hang up now, I'm gonna get kicked out of the agency. I love you."

"Yeah, I love you too." I murmured. Then a thought struck me. "Hey Sven, could you send a message to your chief for me?"

"Sure, but make it quick."

"Tell him that I have no emotions towards him and that he can kiss. My. A—"

"Okay then, Su!" Sven interrupted me. "I'll pass that along to him. But anyway, I love you more than life itself, Babe. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Yeah. I love you more than anything." I murmured.

"Be safe." I whispered. But I was too late. The line on the other end was dead and that was the last I'd heard from Sven that night.

As he promised, Sven called me every night possible. But it was always the same thing. His boss was always kicking him off the phone because he wanted to call his family. I can understand that and I have sympathy for the family but not the chief. No not him. After all, I did say I had no emotions whatsoever towards that idiot.

About two weeks later, I'd come down with some sort of stomach flu. I got sick every morning and almost couldn't keep anything down until early afternoon. _Very strange…_ I'd think to myself, _What kind of flu could I have possibly gotten infected with when I haven't even been around any Humans?_ Also, I'd been very tired and moody. Plus, (yes there's more) I'd been craving instant noodles for some odd reason. I didn't even like instant noodles to begin with! Ridiculous, I know. When Sven called, he knew something was wrong. He knew me too well and I couldn't keep my weakened state a secret from him.

"Su," he would ask me, "is everything alright? You don't sound too good. Are you sick?" And I'd always reply with a 'yes I'm fine' or a 'yeah, why wouldn't I be?'. He was too sharp. He could see right through my façade.

Over the next few weeks, I noticed that I was gaining some weight. I didn't know why. I tried eating less but I found myself crankier than before and even more exhausted too. One night, I woke up after having a strange dream. I dreamt about Sven coming home. I was waiting on our back porch by the door. When he came around the side of the house, he looked shocked when he saw me. Then, a smile spread across his face. He ran up the to the porch and jumped the three low steps. I hadn't realized I was holding something until I handed it over to Sven. He gently took it from my hands and I had a perfect view of what I'd been carrying. It was a baby. It's chubby features looked like both mine and Sven's. When I awoke, it was 1:03AM. The answer finally came to me. I couldn't believe it. I walked over to the window where the light of the full moon was pouring into the bedroom, washing it in a glittering silver light. I looked out onto the glistening, silvery snow. _I'm pregnant._ I thought to myself, folding my hands tenderly over my abdomen, _I'm pregnant with Sven's child._

**Chapter 8**

The next week came and passed. I'd gotten over the morning sickness and I was noticeably gaining more weight. On many an occasion, I'd tried to tell Sven the big news but I was too nervous to say anything. I decided to record myself and send the tape to him.

"Hey Svenny Baby…?" I asked innocently one night, "Would you be able to give me the address of where you are so I can send you something…?"

"Suki, is there something you're not telling me?" he asked, seemingly concerned now.

"What, me _not_ telling you something?"

"Yeah. Is something wrong? Are you alright? Is someone stalking you?"

"Of course not, Sven!" I laughed, "They'd be dead before the first few hours of following me." Sven was silent. I asked him once again for the address and this time, he actually gave it to me. Then he had to go.

A few weeks later, I managed to buy a video camera. I toyed around with it until I figured out how to use it. Then, I set it up, turned it on, pressed the record button and started my message.

"Hey Sven Babe. I miss you lots. I hope you're okay. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know something. Something big… no. _Huge_ actually! Umm… Oh God, how do I say this…" I sat there for a moment before deciding on what to do. I got fed up with this and turned the video camera off. I needed time to think of how to say it. This was pretty hard to do, even on camera.

I spent the next four and a half months making videos. Which I then rejected soon afterwards. Nothing I said was right. One day, I'd gotten this brilliant idea on letting Sven know. I set the camera up again and started the message like I always did. I told Sven I had something big to tell him.

"Sven," I said, "I can't really say this, so I'll just let you see for yourself." I angled the camera so it was pointing at my now, swollen stomach. It was around five months by now and this, mind you, is the expected time for the baby to start making itself physically noticed.

"Yes Sven, it's what you think it is." I laughed quietly. "I'm pregnant!" I rubbed my abdomen lovingly as I said the last two words.

"Don't worry, Sven Babe. This isn't anyone else's child but yours—" I jumped at a sudden bump. I could only guess that it had come from the inside of my womb. From my— no _our_— baby!

"Oh my God, Sven!" I was ecstatic. "Our baby just kicked! It kicked me for the first time!" I finished off the message, telling Sven to be careful and that I loved him, then I turned the camera off, took the cassette out, put it in a bigger cassette, put that in a large envelope and wrote the address in which my dear Sven would be at. The next day, I sent it off, not knowing it would never reach him in time before their camp was moved to another location to follow their targets.

**Chapter 9**

Two months later, I was going crazy over what to name the baby. I was trying names like Kiyoshi, Akako, Yoko, Sakura and Reiko. None of them really seemed to work. Well, at least not Akako, Yoko or Sakura. I was, however, favoring Kiyoshi and Reiko. Kiyoshi, a boy's name, means quiet and Reiko, a girl's name, means gratitude. I wasn't too sure whether the baby was going to be a girl or a boy so, I just called it 'Little One'. I was so excited at the fact that I was going to be the mother of Sven's child! I was also fretting about what my Little One's bedroom was going to look like. I thought it would be a pretty good idea to make the spare room into the nursery. After all, it _was_ just an empty room.

One night, I was up late, contemplating on what color to paint the room, what color the curtains should be, what kind of crib to get and things like that.

"Hmm… maybe I should go with this light yellow… Oh! But then it wouldn't fit with the curtains… Ugh! This is so _complicated_!" I was mumbling things like this to myself while rubbing my ever-swelling stomach. I felt my Little One's foot as it bombarded my hand's circular motions and I laughed. I started humming an old Demonic lullaby (which, mind you, isn't what you think it may sound like. Demonic lullabies are actually quite calming). This seemed to make the kicking stop. I stopped humming and the kicking started up again. I chuckled softly at the reactions my baby was giving. I started humming the lullaby again and my Little One was calm again. I kept humming for another half-hour. I felt no more movement from inside of me and I assumed that my little miracle was sleeping peacefully.

_Hmm… Ooh! That's nice! Shoot! It's too big… Oh, that paint is nice too…_ I thought this as I continued flipping through multiple catalogues. _Oh, I wish Sven Babe was here right now. He has such good taste in this kind of stuff. THAT'S PERFECT! Crap… too pricey… I wonder if I still have some cupped noodles…_ It was thoughts like these that were crowding my mind when I was startled.

_RING!… RING!… RING!_ The phone started ringing. I got up and answered it.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Babe!" came my Love's voice. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Did you get my parcel?"

"Parcel? I didn't get anything from you."

"Oh." I was a bit disappointed to hear this. I decided not to tell Sven what I'd put on the tape. I wanted him to be surprised. We spoke for a while longer before I asked a question that had been nagging at me since he'd left.

"Hey Sven?" I started.

"Yeah, Babe?"

"Are you ever coming back?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, probably not." He said calmly. Happily almost.

"_SVEN!_" I yelled.

"Aww, you know I'm coming back, Angel-Babe." He soothed me as best he could.

"Okay," I said, "When?" This had caught him off guard because it took him a while before he answered me.

"I… I don't know, Su." He sighed. "None of us know. We haven't caught the dealers yet. I'm sorry." I was silent. Sven tried at a feeble attempt to comfort me. Unfortunately, it only made me laugh because it was so poor. We continued with our conversation until he got kicked off (as usual). After we got off the phone, I went straight to the cuppords in search of instant noodles.

**Chapter 10**

By now, it had already been another two months. This was the ninth and I was due any day now. I had finally decided on what the nursery was going to look like and I'd bought the paint, the crib, the curtains and a bunch of other things. I'd also set the place up on my own as well. It was better than I'd imagined it to be and I was quite satisfied.

I was one week overdue and I was quite anxious. My abdomen wasn't as swollen as it normally would have been for one of my kind (a female Demon, that is). This is because we Demonesses are more likely to have multiple births; we get fairly large by the sixth month. But not me. I figured that I was only having one child this time because it would be Half-Demon, Half-Human. At least I could pass for a woman having a normal pregnancy in the world of Humans. And at least I _was_ having a child.

One night, I'd received a phone call. What I'd learned was the last thing I'd wanted to hear.

"Sven!" I exclaimed, "It's about time you called! I haven't heard from you in days!"

"Is this Miss Suki Mikami?" came an unfamiliar man's voice from a very staticy phone line.

"Yes…" I replied cautiously, "Who's asking?"

"Scott Mirello. I'm an agent in the International Bureau of Investigation. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Oh…?" He'd gotten my full attention. "What's going on?" The static on the other end of the phone line was overpowering and I'd only gotten a few words before it gave out completely.

"We found the druggies……. Lost some men……. Vollfied lost his……. Great loss for—" And then the phone line was cut short. I couldn't believe it. Sven had been killed. My dear Sven Babe who had rescued me on that fateful day. The man who'd brought me flowers every chance he'd gotten. The man who I was insanely in love with. The man who's child I was to bear within days from now. The man who I'd never see again. I dropped the phone and fell to my knees.

"_SVEN!!!_" I cried, "Sven… Oh, Sven. Please, no…" I was sobbing uncontrollably, my heart was broken. I sat there, leaning over my large stomach, with my head in my hands, feeling the movement of Sven's unborn child shifting around within my womb as I wept tears of mourning for the father it would never meet.

* * *

It was October now, and I was one month overdue. I was lying in bed, crying, much like I did nowadays, still mourning for my lost Love. My abdomen, much like the moon, was getting larger and much rounder. The days passed and I was always expecting a call from _him_ even though I knew I'd never get one ever again.

October 30th, the night of the full moon, I felt my Little One moving quite a bit more than it usually did. It flipped over, then flipped again, as though trying to find the right position for something. For what though, I didn't have a clue. At 8:46 PM, I was quite tired and decided I'd turn in early. When I went upstairs, I caught a slight trace of _him_, as though he'd passed through the hall not too long ago.

"Sven…?" I stupidly called out. I waited. No answer. I knew very well that I wasn't ever going to hear Sv— _his_ voice ever again. It pained me to even think of my Dearly-Beloved's name. I collected myself once more and went into the bedroom to sleep.

I was sleeping quite peacefully when the pains started. They half woke me and I groaned a little bit.

"Mph… Sven…" I mumbled, "Sven, wake up…" I rolled over to nudge Sven awake.

"Sven, I think it's time." I said more urgently. "I think the baby's coming!" By now, I was fully awake. I sat up and looked over to the clock on the nightstand. It was just after midnight. I looked to my left. No Sven. I'd forgotten that he'd never lay beside me again. I'd forgotten that he'd never be there to witness the birth of our child. I'd forgotten that he'd been taken from me forever. A wave of pain swept over me and I cried out. The pain subsided for a few minutes then came once again, this time more overwhelming than before. With every wave of pain, the break in between grew shorter and shorter until there was absolutely no relief whatsoever.

_Dammit!_ I thought, _The contractions started! I'm not ready for this! Why oh why can't Sven be here! I need you more than ever right now!_ I was hunched over when a puddle appeared beneath me. _Great,_ I pondered to myself, _my water just broke. Okay, that means the baby is on it's way right now. If Sven were here, he'd tell me to stay calm. To breathe. Okay, I can do this._ I took deep, steady breaths, readying myself for the delivery of my Little One. My maternal instincts were kicking in now, telling me to push. I obeyed, tensing up with everything I had to offer. The pain was burning, coursing through my veins. I felt the adrenaline coming and my Demonic features making themselves visible. I growled, clenching my teeth. A moment's relief came and I leaned back on the pillows I'd managed to prop up against the headboard, then I had to push once again. I used every last ounce of strength I had to deliver my child. I didn't have a lot and I knew it because I could feel my drive diminishing swiftly. I gave one last, agonizing push and it was all over. I head the cry of my baby ringing through the stillness of the air. I gathered what strengths I had left and scooped up the tiny, crying bundle. I had a daughter. Instincts told me to get rid of the cord. I couldn't fight them. I laid her gently on the bed, and leaned in close to her. I felt the fleshy thing between my fangs as I bit down on it. I felt it come loose and I opened my jaws to let it fall. I picked up my daughter and leaned back on the pillows once more.

"Reiko." I said gently, "My little Reiko." I wrapped her up in a corner of the blanket covering the bed and held her in my arms. Exhaustion swept over me and the world went black. _Where am I?_ I thought, curiously, _Am I dying? No! I can't die! If I do, my little Reiko will die too. She'll have no one to look after her. No one to take care of her!_ I fought furiously to open my eyes, to live, to see my newborn daughter live and grow as well. I'm not sure how long I fought for, but eventually, I could hear Reiko wailing in my arms. Finally my eyes opened. I looked down at my daughter, a tear in my eye. She looked so much like her father. So much like Sven. I quieted her down and let her nurse before watching her fall asleep. I too, was quite tired, as you can imagine, and felt confident that I wouldn't succumb to death twice in one night. I gave in and fell asleep.

**Chapter 11**

The sun was shining through the window when I woke up. I looked down to see my little Reiko sleeping in my arms. She was so tiny. I couldn't believe she was real. As I looked upon her, I noticed that she had two short, black, stripes that ran from the back of her jaw-line, almost all the way to her chin on each side of her face. She also had three black stripes that wound around her chubby little right arm. They started from under her elbow and ended to just on top of her wrist. She was so peaceful right now. How was it that she was going to grow up to become a Demon? It seemed almost impossible right now. She shifted a little and yawned. When she opened her eyes, they were bluey-grey. Her pupils were that of a Demon too. A long, black slit down both eyes. Her face twisted a little and she started crying. I assumed she was hungry so I nursed her again. When she stopped, she started whimpering again. I started humming the lullaby I'd hummed to her so long ago and she stopped. I kissed her and nestled her closer to me before, once again, we both fell asleep.

Later that day, when we'd both woken up, I bathed and fed (yes again) my little bundle of joy. I took some of the baby clothes I'd bought and put them on her (by the way, she was absolutely adorable). Every day, it was the same thing every three hours or so. Eat, sleep, change, eat sleep change… and so on and so forth. You may not think there is any happiness in that but for a new mother, it is amazing. Over the weeks, Reiko was already getting bigger and stronger so I brought her outside for walks more often. She was growing so fast and before I knew it, she was already a year old. Her eyes were grey, like mine and her hair… Her hair was blonde like her father's but it had a dusty, golden tint to it as well. _She must have gotten it from me._ I thought so because my hair was long, golden brown and slightly waved. A month and a half later, she'd said her first word: "Mommy". I was so proud of her. Her voice was so high but she was still cute, no matter what! Every chance I got, I'd make video recordings of her, so that if there was even the slightest chance that Sven was still alive and he came back to us, he'd be able to see Reiko growing up. Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn't favoring us.

By two-and-a-half-years-old, my little ray of sunshine was chattering and she took every chance she got to do so.

"Mommy?" she tugged at my shirt, trying to get my attention. "Mommy, why do I have lines on my awm? I have them; I have them on my cheeks too, Mommy. What awe the lines for?" I crouched down to get to her level. I took her tiny hands in mine and smiled at her.

"You have _stripes_ on your arm and your cheeks because you're a Demon, Sunshine. They make you special amongst our kind. Do you understand now?" she nodded enthusiastically.

"Mommy?" she asked again.

"Yes Ko-Ko?" I chuckled at this because I knew she was just going to pepper me with questions now.

"What's a Dee-min?" I couldn't help laughing a little at this. It was so adorable how she said 'Dee-min' instead of 'Demon'.

"A _Demon_, Ko-Ko, is what you and I both are."

"So we awen't nowmal?"

"It's nothing like that, it's just that we aren't Humans." She furrowed her small brow as she thought this over.

"So, we'we not Hyoomins?"

"Well," this was a difficult question to answer. "I'm a Full-Demon but, you, Reiko, you're a Half-Demon." Reiko's eyes went wide when I told her she was a Half-Demon.

"WHAT!?" she exclaimed, "I'M ONLY HALF OF ME!? WHEWE'S MY OTHEW HALF!?"

"Ko-Ko, just because you're a Half-Demon doesn't mean you're missing half of yourself."

"Then what does it mean?" tears were springing to her eyes now and a few large tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It means you aren't just one thing. You're half of two things put together." She looked at me confusedly. She obviously didn't understand.

"You are half Demon _and_ half Human."

"Half Hyoomin? What do you mean?"

"Reiko, you are half Demon because of me."

"Then," she sniffed. "Then why am I half Hyoomin too?"

"You are half _Human_ because of your father." She narrowed her eyes, trying hard to understand what I was saying.

"You're father was a Human. My being a full Demon and your father being a full Human, two full lives made another full life that was half of each of them. Do you understand now?" Reiko just looked at me before she ran outside, then ran back in with two different leaves. She plopped herself on the floor and put the leaves down in front of her.

"So, pwetend this one," she held up a maple leave, "is a Dee-min and pwetend this one," she held up the other, an oak leave, "is a Hyoomin." She ripped the two leaves in half and put the halves on the floor.

"If I put them like this," she moved the halves together to make an odd, new leaf. "Then it is half Hyoomin-Leaf and half Dee-min-Leaf." She looked up at me with large, curious eyes.

"Is that like what I am, Mommy?"

"Yes, Ko-Ko. That's exactly like what you are. Except, you aren't a leaf. You're much more special than that. And no matter what you are, I will always love you." She stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I picked her up and swung her around as she said "I love you too, Mommy!"

**Chapter 12**

Three and a half years later, six-year-old Ko-Ko had just started grade one. She was so excited to finally go to school and make new friends. On the morning I'd gotten what any of you would think was a "rude awakening".

"Wake up mom!" was the first thing I heard. "Wake up! Wake up!" Reiko was bouncing up and down with excitement. I'd been sleeping when she first tackled me so I hadn't heard her come running down the hall. When she'd gotten to my door, she'd flung it open and came charging in. She made a mighty leap onto the bed and landed, where else but squarely on top of me, thus, waking me up. She got up onto her feet and started jumping again before she flopped down to shake me awake.

"Mom!" she complained, "Come on mom, wake up!"

"Ko-Ko…" I mumbled, "What time is it?" she immediately stopped shaking me to look over to the bedside digital clock.

"Umm… six dot dot o three." She said. I moaned. It was six 'o' three on a Monday morning. We didn't have to be at the school until nine thirty.

"Ko-Ko, go back to bed."

"BUT WE'LL BE LATE FOR MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!"

"Reiko…" I thought of how I would be able to pursuade her to back to her room and sleep for a while longer.

"Ko-Ko," I began, "If you don't go back to sleep now, you'll be tired at school and you'll fall asleep while all the other kids are learning new things." She seemed to consider this quite heavily.

"But, if I fall asleep, who'll wake you up?"

"My alarm clock."

"Oh," she was silent for a moment. "But what if it's broken?"

"Don't worry, my little Ko-Ko," I reassured her, "It's not broken. Now, go back to bed." She climbed over me and scrambled under the blankets, into my arms before she _finally_ settled down. I wrapped my arms around her as her breath became slow and steady. She was asleep. Now, I'd be able to catch some shuteye too.

Eight thirty came around and my alarm clock went off. I opened my eyes and nudged Ko-Ko awake too. She yawned and stretched.

"Lemme sleep mom…" she muttered to me.

"What happened to 'wake up mom! We're going to be late for my first day of school'?" I chuckled.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed before bolting upright and hopping out of bed. She darted out the door and down the hallway into her room.

I was waiting downstairs for her with her breakfast just coming out of the frying pan. Reiko bounded down the stairs and hopped into her chair at the table, eyeing the bacon and ham I'd just prepared for her. She gobbled her breakfast up so fast that as soon as she'd finished eating it, she got the hiccups. By nine sharp, we were out the door and running through the thick woods into town. Just in the tree line, Reiko got off my back and I shape-shifted once more, into my Human form. (I'd been a Youkai beast so we'd be able to get there on time. We lived quite deep in the heart of the woods so no one would find us.) I bent down in front of Reiko and looked into her gentle, grey eyes.

"Promise me something Reiko." I began, "Promise me you won't tell anyone about what we are or how we get back and forth from our house to town."

"Why can't I tell anyone?" she inquired.

"Because, Ko-Ko," I began, "Some Humans don't believe Demons exist anymore, and those who do believe in us…" I knew I should tell her what happens to Demons when Humans who believe in us find us, but I couldn't.

"Well, things just don't work out between us, Sunshine." I finally finished answering her question.

"Okay…" she seemed disappointed.

"Come on, Ko-Ko." I said as I took her hand in mine, "Let's go to see your new school."

When we'd gotten there, the interview went quite well and Reiko was playing with the other kids so she didn't notice me leave. Although I'd told her I'd be leaving her there, I was still worried that she'd put up a fuss once I decided to go. Lucky for me, she didn't.

When it came time to pick her up from school, I waited outside as the children flooded out and ran into their parents' arms. As Reiko spotted me, she hurtled towards me and hugged my legs.

"Hi mommy!" she exclaimed.

"Hello Ko-Ko," I hugged her back. "How was your first day at school?" Reiko was so excited that she went into great detail about everything she'd learned and everything she'd done. As she sat on my back while I ran us home, she sang the songs that the teacher had taught the class. She was so happy now; it was hard to believe that her days at school would be coming to an end soon.

Halfway through her first year at school, she sauntered over to me where I was waiting for her after school one day. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. She wrapped her arms around my legs and hugged me.

"Hey Ko-Ko." I said cheerily. "How was your day?"

"Hi mom." She replied flatly. "My day was… okay I guess." Now I knew 100% something was wrong.

"What did you do today?"

"We did an art project."

"And…? What did you do for your art project?"

"We had to draw a picture of our family."

"That's nice." I squeezed her hand. "Did you have fun today?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"The other kids made fun of me."

"No," I breathed. "Why?"

"Because they all had their dads in their pictures."

"Did they make fun of Lina too?" (Lina was the friend Reiko had made at school on their first week.)

"No. They were making fun of me because my dad doesn't live with us."

"Neither does Lina's dad."

"Yeah but, they didn't laugh at her because Lina knows who her dad is. I don't."

"Didn't Lina stand up for you?"

"No… she just…" Reiko trailed off.

"Yes…?" I prompted, "What did Lina do?" Reiko was biting her lip, contemplating on whether to tell me.

"Lina just made fun of me too." Reiko was crying now and I picked her up, off the ground and hugged her close to me. I carried her home, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright and that she'd make up with Lina soon and they'd be friends again.

A few weeks later, Reiko came out of the school crying as the other kids ran after her, pointing and laughing. One of the boys ran in front of her and pushed her backwards. I was getting angry with this and I started walking over to where they were harassing my daughter. When I was halfway there, some of the students had picked up sticks and small rocks. _Oh Great Dog Demon of the Western Plains, _I thought inwardly, _what are those kids going to do with all those stones?_ I picked up my pace just as my question was answered. The kids started _throwing_ the objects _at Reiko_! I started running, trying to surpress the burning fire that was flowing through my veins. I couldn't let my True Form show. Not here. I knew that if I did, lots of innocent people would be killed. As much as I didn't want to, a low, guttural growl escaped my throat. Reiko was on the ground, crying. The growl got louder and the landscape was covered with a slight hue of red. _Great!_ I thought to myself, _My eyes are starting to glow. This is just PERFECT!_ I looked at Reiko's antagonizers and snarled at them.

"Why are you hurting my daughter? What has she ever done to you?" I was extremely mad now and I was quivering with anger. The children were clustered together and were shaking in fear.

"Go home _now_!" I growled at them. "I swear to God, if I ever see any of you little _brats_ hurting Reiko ever again…" I struggled to avoid saying the word 'kill' to them. "Every single one of you will be _extremely_ and _eternally_ sorry you ever crossed paths with Suki Mikami. Do you understand?" They all nodded their heads.

"Good." I snorted. "Now, _GO HOME_!!!" I turned my back on them and scooped Reiko up into my arms. Both her knees and the palms of her hands were scraped up. I clutched her protectively to myself and quickly walked to the tree line. Reiko was crying uncontrollably now and my emotions were beyond rage.

"Don't worry Ko-Ko," I soothed her, "You won't have to see those kids ever again. I'm taking you out of that so-called 'school'. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about this world. Things will get better, you'll see."

When we got home, I cleaned out Reiko's cuts and saw to trying to ease her emotional pain.

"Mom, why doesn't my dad live with us?" She'd caught me off guard.

"Wha--?" I was astonished and fumbled for an answer.

"I said why doesn't my dad live with us?"

"Well…" I began slowly, "You're father and I haven't been together for almost six years, Ko-Ko." She looked sad when I said this.

"So… is it like Lina's parents?"

"Oh Reiko," I breathed, "Of course not. Me and you're father… we…" Reiko looked confused. "Well, we loved each other very much. He wouldn't have left me if he'd had the choice. And he'd probably be with us today if he hadn't gone on that mission. We'd be a family if he hadn't been…" I couldn't finish my sentence. It was just too painful to think of the fate that had befallen my Love. I didn't want to think about it so I just decided that Reiko and I would go for a walk in the woods and spend some time together.

**Chapter 13**

For a year now, I'd been teaching Reiko at home to shelter her from the harshness of this hateful world. Not only was Ko-Ko made fun of because her father was dead and she didn't know about that but she was also made fun of because the stripes that showed on her cheeks and arm. That's besides the point though. What I'd been teaching Reiko was what my mother had taught me when I was Reiko's age. I was teaching her how to channel and control her Demonic powers and abilities. She'd gotten the hang of the jumping and leaping. Plus, she was quite fast. I'd taught her the Demonic Tongue and was beyond impressed and proud that Ko-Ko was catching on to all of this so quickly. She was after all, a Half-Demon. But there was one thing that she couldn't master. And that was finding her True Self and shifting into a Youkai Beast. All animal-based Demons can do this but Reiko wasn't able to transform. I tried everything from getting her to remember bad memories, scaring her, making her angry and everything in between but no matter what I did, it just wasn't working. I was beginning to think that maybe she didn't have enough Demonic blood in her to be able to do these techniques that were so easy, a newborn Demon could master them.

"Ugh! I can't do it!" exclaimed a very frustrated Reiko. "Why won't it work?"

"This is good Ko-Ko!" I encouraged her as much as I could so she wouldn't feel bad. "The angrier you are, then maybe you'll be able to channel you're Demonic blood and shape-shift into you're True Form. Now, try it again." Reiko clasped her hands together and squeezed her eyes shut tight in an effort to gather her concentration. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke and within the small cloud, I saw a bushy tail and tufted ears. And just as soon as they had appeared, they vanished instantly and Reiko was on her knees, huffing and breathing heavily.

"Did I do it?" she panted.

"Yes Reiko! You did it! You shifted into your Youkai form! I'm so proud of you!" It was getting dark so I told Reiko that she would be able to try again the next day. Together, we walked into the house to eat the supper I had cooking on the stovetop.

* * *

The next day, Reiko and I went outside to practice her shape-shifting. Strangely enough, Reiko was unable to repeat what she'd done the day before and that set her on a fit of frustration. I calmed her and told her to take a break before trying again. We walked for a while until we found a peaceful clearing deep in the woods surrounding our territory. We settled ourselves down and sat in silence for a while.

"You know Ko-Ko," I started, "You remind me of myself when I was your age and my mom was teaching me how to channel my Demonic energy."

"Really?" she asked, seeming quite surprised.

"Yeah. I was just like you, Ko-Ko. I couldn't figure out how to shape-shift until I was about 12 years old." Reiko's eyes opened wide.

"What? Really?"

"Yes. Twelve whole years until I figured it out. And, I'm a Full-Demon."

"Hey mom?"

"Yes Ko-Ko?"

"How did you figure out how to shape-shift?" The question was unexpected and thinking of how to answer it was quite challenging. I decided to tell her the whole story and as I began, the painful images and memories filled my mind once more.

**Chapter 14**

"When I was twelve, my mother, who was also your grandmother, was trying to teach me to shape-shift. Nothing she did worked and she was beginning to think I hadn't inherited the genes to enable me to use that one specific ability. One day, my mother came home and told me to run. I asked her why but all she told me was to not ask questions. She'd answer them on the way to wherever it was we were heading.

'Where are we going?' I asked as I rode upon my mother's back.

'We're going to find a new place to live. It's too dangerous where we are now.'

'Why? What's so dangerous about our home?'

'A slayer has been tracking me for some time now and he's finally decided to come and kill us. Me, you and your brother.'

'But mother,' I asked, 'Can't you just fight this guy and kill him? You know, like you did to the last one?' My mother slowed down to a stop. She looked around wearily and crouched so I could slip off her back. Once on the ground, she got up and faced me. She was very serious.

'Suki, I can't fight him like I did the last one. Not in this condition.' She tossed her massive head to the left, indicating her swollen abdomen. 'There's too much of a risk.'

'But mother, you fought the last slayer and killed him. You were pregnant back then too.'

'That was on the beginning. There was less of a risk that your brother would get hurt back then. I'm due any day now. Do you really expect me to risk your brother's life and mine just to kill some petty Human?' I remained silent as my mother paced around me in a circle. She was growling slightly and I knew she was annoyed that I'd asked such a pointless question.

'Forgive me mother.' I bowed my head. She stopped in front of me and seated herself down. She draped her huge, clawed paw over my shoulder and rubbed her forehead against mine as gently as she could.

'That's fine, Suki. Besides, why kill something so pathetic as a Human when you can just outsmart it?' She winked at me and motioned for me to climb on her back once more to continue putting distance between us and the slayer.

"A few days later, we had to stop running because my mother was getting quite tired. She told me to go search for some food while she fixed a makeshift camp where we would spend the night before moving on once more. I tracked down a herd of deer and killed a few to bring back to my mother so we would have something to eat. She was very proud of me for making my first official kill and let me have the first pickings of our prey.

We stayed in that spot for a few more days before deciding to move on. We were just about to go when my mother let out a pained growl and collapsed.

'Mother!' I cried, 'Mother, are you okay? What's wrong?'

'Its your brother,' she panted, 'Your brother is on his way.' I was so scared, I had no idea what was going to happen. Also, we were both on edge because we could scent the slayer's approach. He'd reach us within two to three days time. This was the worst possible moment for my brother to be born.

"Hours later, my brother, Kaiyan, was born. My mother was so exhausted that she had to shift back into her Human-Form. With her like that, we couldn't go anywhere and we were forced to stay put until she regained her strength. Within those three days, the slayer's scent was growing stronger and stronger. We were all antsy and wanted to get moving as soon as possible. On the third day, the scent was so overpowering that my mother knew the slayer was going to strike that day.

'Suki, listen to me.' She was extremely nervous and this was the first time I'd ever seen her like this. 'Suki, I want you to take Kaiyan and run. Run as fast and as far as you can. I'll try to delay the slayer and meet up with you soon. I promise I'll find you two. I love you both.' She kissed both Kaiyan and me before placing him in my arms and shoving me on my way. I took a few more steps before turning around and watching my mother transform and then vanish into the brush. I turned and started running. I heard screams and growls, roars and laughs. I was so scared for my mother but I still kept on running. Suddenly, I heard an unearthly, blood-curdling sound. I stopped dead in my tracks. I sniffed the air. Blood. There was the scent of blood on the wind. I spun around and bolted back to where my mother had left my brother and me. The scent of blood was strong now and I followed it to where my mother and the slayer had been fighting. There, in the dirt, was my mother lying in a puddle of her own blood. I ran to her side and dropped to my knees. I held Kaiyan close to me. My mother had a golden staff lodged in her chest and a sizzling prayer slip stuck to her right shoulder.

'S-Suki…' she tried to speak but was unable to due to some blood that was rising out of her throat. 'Suki… Take Kaiyan… Run… S-slayer… Right… Behind… You…' My mother was overtaken by a shudder then coughed up more thick, frothy blood and lay still. I was so shocked, I hadn't even detected the slayer creeping up on me until it was too late. I was plowed over on to my side. The slayer was crouching over me, pinning me down. Blood covered his face as he smiled menacingly at Kaiyan and me.

'You.' His eyes narrowed, 'You are a spawn of the Demon I just slew. You are also the spawn of the Demon I killed eight and a half months ago.'

'So it was you. _You_ were the slayer that _killed_ my _father_!'

'Yes I was. A formidable fighter he was. It took a lot of effort to get this trophy from him.' He smiled as he held up a necklace that had my father's canine fangs and claws strung on the rope. In between the claws and fangs were tufts of my father's fur.

'You're a monster.' I growled at him through my teeth. The slayer just laughed at me.

'Au contraire my dear. It is _you_ who is the monster. _You_ are the Demon here, not I.' The slayer put his blood-soaked hand around my throat and squeezed.

'You won't have to wait long to see your mother and father. And neither will your brother.' I felt hot fire burn down my spine and claws sprang to my fingertips while my small fangs elongated to about three quarters of an inch. My surroundings were bathed in red and I felt myself shifting into something else. I pushed up and let an insult fly from my mouth but instead of the word, I was surprised to hear a noise that sounded like a growl, a roar and a screech all mixed together. I looked down to see paws with dangerously curved claws on the ends of the toes. I'd done it. I'd finally transformed into my True Self! I saw Kaiyan on the ground, crying and the slayer was creeping towards him. I felt something intense. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I was so full of rage at that point that I launched myself at the slayer and pinned him to the ground. I was about the same size as a coyote so I wasn't having too much success in keeping him down. He stopped moving and I relaxed. Before I knew what was happening, he slipped his hand into his coat pocket and then slapped something onto my left shoulder. Pain ran throughout my whole body and I cried out. I heard a sizzling sound and looked to see a prayer slip stuck to my shoulder. It was the most painful thing I'd ever felt in my life. I reared up onto my hind legs and fell over. The slayer got up and strode over to my helpless little brother.

'Don't worry little abomination,' he murmured, 'I'll have mercy. The end won't be painful for you.' Then the slayer took out some powder and put it in front of Kaiyan's nose. Kaiyan instantly fell asleep. I watched, horrified as his breathing grew slow and shallow until he stopped breathing altogether. I got up and crouched as the slayer walked over to my mother's body and placed Kaiyan beside her. He grabbed the staff that was still in my mother's chest and yanked it out. The end of it was covered and dripping in dark blood. He turned and faced me.

'Now to finish off the little Demon bitch.' He ran at me, staff in hand as I ran at him, claws extended. We clashed together and fell down. I swiped blindly at him and heard him yell out in pain. A shiver ran down my spine as his staff smashed into my jaw. I fell over once again but this time the slayer had me pinned. He took out a knife that was as red as a Demon's blood. A smile broke out across his face as he leaned in on me. I twisted my body around, trying to claw myself free of his grasp only to be immobilized by a sharp pain burning down my back. I scented more blood and turned my head to see a long cut running down the length of my back. Bright blood was oozing its way out of my flesh. I was grabbed, picked up and slammed down once more on to my back. The slayer leaned in once more but I was ready this time. I tensed all my muscles and started clawing his stomach with my hind paws as I lashed out with my front paws at his throat and face. Blood spattered my face and the slayer croaked something as a river of his own blood cascaded out of his mouth. He collapsed on me and I was being crushed by his weight. I used what strength I had left to push him off me and dragged myself to my mother and my brother's sides. I was on my own now and I had no idea what to do. My entire family was dead. And I'd just killed a Human. I was in shock so I just stayed there.

"When I was healed, I moved on after burying my dead mother and brother. I grew up alone and learned street smarts. I tried to avoid Human contact as much as possible. Wherever I went, there were no Demons to be found. I'd assumed that they'd all been killed and I was the last. When I came to Rubeck City, I hid in the woods where I found this abandoned mansion. I couldn't smell any trace of Humans so I claimed it for my own. And that, my little Ko-Ko, is how I learned to shape-shift into my Youkai Form." Reiko was silent as she took in the details of my mother's death that was soon followed by my brother Kaiyan's. Now she knew what had happened to her grandmother and uncle as well as all the other Demons of this brutal world.

**Chapter 15**

A year came and passed. Reiko was a rambunctious eight-year-old. She'd mastered the Demonic art of creating an Illusion Self. She'd also mastered a lot more of the many arts I had to teach her. She'd even mastered a few of the basic Kitsune Illusions. Honestly, I don't think a mother's ever been as proud of her child as I was of Reiko as I watched her learn and grow. I just wished that her dear father could have been there to see the miracle of life as well. June 23rd was his birthday. Every other year, when that day came around, I'd curl up in bed with the fedora he'd left behind and cry myself to sleep. Of course I did this after Ko-Ko was asleep because I didn't want her to see me crying. Little did I know that I wouldn't be around to do that for an eighth time for my days were numbered.

On March 29th, Ko-Ko and I had been practicing her Youkai Transformations because, yes, Reiko still hadn't mastered it yet. By the end of that day, we were both exhausted. It was 9:11PM by the time we went inside. After we ate a very late supper, I tucked my little Ko-Ko into bed and kissed her goodnight. I washed, dried and put away the dishes and went to bed. Strangely enough though, I couldn't sleep. I had a feeling in my gut that was telling me something bad was going to happen. Little did I know that that feeling was my instinct telling me to get Reiko and leave that place as soon as possible. I was so stupid. I ignored the feeling and forced myself to sleep. My dreams were filled with nightmares and visions of my one and only Love. He seemed to be trying to warn me but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Eventually though, I fell into a peaceful void of sleep.

At 1:43AM on March 30th, I was literally yanked out of sleep and thrown onto my floor. I startled awake to see two or three men crowding in my bedroom, all laughing and sneering at me. I blinked a few times to clear my eyes of sleep-grit. The men were still there. One of the men crouched down and leaned in on me. A little too close for my taste.

"Are you Suki Mikami?" he quietly asked me.

"W-who are you? What do you want with me?" I stuttered.

"What do we want with you?" he chuckled, "It's not what we want with _you_. It's what we want with that IBI bastard _Sven Vollfied_."

"What are you talking about? Sven is dead. He has been for almost eight years now."

"Oh, he's dead is he? Well, that's not what I heard." The man stood up and looked around him as he asked his comrades; "Is that Sven guy dead boys? Didn't we see him crawling out of our hideout when that other rat with the glasses was killed protecting him?" The dark room was filled with the cruel agreement of the other men.

"Oy! Lelan', din't tha' bloke lose 'is oye too?"

"Hey, yeah. That's true Tom."

"Heh heh heh! Now he's half-blind!" jeered another of the men, this one was raggedy and thin unlike the first man, Tom, who was tall and muscular.

"No…" my head was spinning now, "Th-that can't be… Sven, he died in an explosion while trying to bust a drug-ring." The first man, Leland, knelt down to my level once more. He reached his hand out and gently grabbed my lower jaw between his thumb and his index finger, forcing me to look into his terrible eyes.

"So, beautiful," he guffawed, "Are you his lover or aren't you?"

"What does it matter to you?" I spat back at him.

"Eh, Lelan', she's a feisty one ain't she, that lass?"

"Well, lookie here!" said the thin man, "It's the hat that bastard wore all the time!" Tom and Leland looked up.

"Good job Trent. That confirms that this bitch is the one we're looking for." The men laughed once more. "Tom, Trent, I want you both to search the house and take any valuables and load them up. I have some business to attend to with this little whore." The two other men nodded and left the room. I watched them go through the doorway and into the hall. _Oh Great Dog Demon of the Western Plains, please don't let them go right. Please don't let them find Reiko._ I watched them as they turned left but my view was soon blocked by the Leland man. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me up then pushed me back onto the bed. He took off his leather jacket and threw it to the floor. Before I knew it, he had me pinned to the bed and was looking down on me. A sudden flashback of when I was being held prisoner by that gang flashed in my mind. I saw the leader prowling towards me. He slapped me so I'd be subdued. I saw him dragging me off and into a dark room. I heard a female voice screaming and my flashback ended.

"Hey Leland." Said a woman's voice.

"Rita, can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Well, if you aren't too busy, check out what I found." Leland turned his head and looked behind him. The woman called Rita dragged something into view and I couldn't believe my eyes. The woman had Reiko by the arm. My little Ko-Ko was being touched by this Human filth!

"It looks like that bitch had a little brat while the IBI rat was out hunting us." Leland laughed out loud and turned to face me once more.

"Was that brat fathered by Sven?" I couldn't answer. I was too enraged by what I saw.

"Hey Leland, look at the stripes this little piece of shit has on her arm and cheeks! She looks like a freak!" Leland got up to examine Reiko more closely. I grabbed his arm. He turned and once more, looked at me.

"Please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt her." I pleaded, "She hasn't done anything wro—!" I was cut off by a very painful slap across my face.

"Mommy!" cried Reiko. Leland and Rita just laughed. Lelan pushed Rita aside and leaned out the doorway.

"Tom! Hey Tom!" he called, "C'mere! You wanna have some fun? Rita just found something better than a barrel of monkeys!" Immediately after Leland finished talking, there was a huge clattering coming from below us. I could hear him pounding up the stairs and through the hall. He appeared in the doorway and looked expectantly at Leland.

"So what 'ave ye got fer me Lelan'?" he asked in his thick Irish accent.

"A little whelp to get rid of, amigo!" snorted Rita. She was obviously Mexican. Tom looked down and saw Reiko. He reached out his huge hand and grabbed her by the front of her pajamas.

"Put her _down_!" I snarled at him.

"Heh heh heh! I'll snap yer neck like a twig." Reiko was crying uncontrollably as Tom wrapped his massive paw around her neck. Now I knew what I had to do. I didn't care if they saw my True Form. I had to save Reiko. I felt the fire burn down my spine and through my body. I saw the faces of the three gang members twist from evil amusement to absolute horror. They were terrified and I knew it. I pushed Leland off of me and launched myself at Tom, bowling him over and catching Reiko.

"Run!" I ordered her, "Hide. Don't you dare turn back no matter what you see or hear!" I shoved her roughly and barred the way out of the bedroom with my body so she might have a chance at escaping. I heard a shot being fired and felt a stinging pain in my side. I looked over to where Leland was. In his hand he held a pistol. He'd shot me. My eyes flickered red and locked on to him. I turned to him, snarling, my stripes jagged. I crouched then sprung at him. Rita and Tom jumped out of my way as Leland and I collided. More shots were fired and I was bleeding more and more but I felt nothing of the bullets. Leland managed to kick me in the jaw and knock me over onto my side. As he got up, he pulled out a machete and stalked towards me. I became as large as a horse when I saw the approaching danger. I got up and jumped once more at Leland and we both tumbled out of the bedroom and crashed into the banister, which broke, under our weight. We fell hard, onto the white carpet and were both winded. I felt Leland shift beneath me and another sharp pain shot through my body, starting from my right side. I was having some difficulty breathing and I staggered up to see the machete completely immersed in between my ribs. Leland had stabbed me and only the handle could be seen. Suddenly, I was knocked down as a large amount of weight came crashing onto my back. Tom had jumped from the second floor and landed on me, crushing me. Leland had gotten up as I had been examining my most recent wound and was now loading his handgun once more. I managed to throw Tom off of me and smashed my huge paw into him, and made him fly into a wall, much like a hockey puck gets smashed into the goal. I lunged at Leland, grabbing him between my saber fangs and threw him hard on top of Tom. I turned to see Rita running out the front door, cursing in her Mexican tongue.

I was looking around to see if I could find Reiko anywhere when she came running out from her hiding place beneath the staircase.

"Mom!" she cried, "Mom! Are you okay?" she jumped into my paws as I fell over to catch her.

"Reiko, oh Reiko!" I was hugging and nuzzling her, "What did I tell you? You weren't supposed to come back."

"I'm sorry mom." She sobbed, "I was scared."

"Oh, never mind that. Are you alright?" She nodded and I hugged her close to me once more.

"Well isn't that sweet?" came a mocking voice. We turned to see who had spoken so terribly of our reunion. A younger man, around the age of 18 or 19 was smirking at us. He had fiery red hair and green eyes. In his hand, he held a small, gleaming knife. He walked slowly towards us, carelessly playing with the blade.

"Reiko, run." I started pushing her away from me as I got up off the bloodstained carpet. "Get as far away from here as possible. Don't come back no matter what, do you understand me?" Reiko nodded as she hugged me before turning to go.

"I'll find you when I get out, okay Ko-Ko? I love you." she nodded once more and ran off towards the door. I saw the redhead about to run after her so I jumped at him as he threw his blade. It cut deep into my throat and I felt the hot blood trickling down my neck. I reared up and crashed down onto the redhead. I heard a few snaps and cracks. I assumed that I'd broken some of his bones when I crushed him with my paws. I was astonished to see him crawling out from under my claws and drag himself into a corner. More shots were fired and I felt the biting pain of more bullets cutting their way into my flesh. I collapsed and didn't get up. Things were getting blurry and sounds seemed far away. I faintly heard Reiko calling to me. I lifted my head feebly and saw her being chased by Leland. I guess I hadn't knocked him out after all. To my surprise, Reiko was transforming into a Youkai Beast. She looked like a miniature version of me despite the difference in fur color and texture. Her fur was brown like milk chocolate and she was quite fluffy. Her ear tufts weren't as long and elegant as mine were. They looked like the down of a chick. I was horrified when Leland pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Reiko. He fired and hit her. She cried out in pain as she fell. I had transformed back into my Human Form due to loss of blood and exhaustion. I still had my claws and fangs though. I dug my claws deep into my wounded side, bathing them in blood. I called upon my Demonic power and fired them at Leland.

"BLADES OF BLOOD!!!" I yelled as I sliced the air with my claws. The hardened blood flew off my claws and lodged themselves in Leland's arm. I saw Reiko get up and run out the door, swerving as yet another gang member came through. This one had green hair and an eye patch. He grabbed Leland by the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. He yelled and swore at Leland who struggled to get free. The green haired member let Leland fall and threatened the redhead and Tom, who had just awakened after being knocked out. The house was empty apart from the gang member with the eye patch and me. He came running towards me.

"Get away from me…" I breathed. "Leave me alone…"

"Oh my God. Suki! I'm so sorry." The voice was that of Sven. Yet it came from this man who was now crouching over me. I tried to push him away but I had no strength left.

"Please… I'm already dying… don't hurt me more…"

"Damn it, Suki! Don't talk like that!" I looked up and saw the man for who he truly was.

"Sven…?"

"Yes, Suki."

"Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Wh-what happened to you?"

"That doesn't matter now." He cradled me in his arms and kissed me.

"Sven, I—"

"Shut up Suki. You shouldn't be talking." He kissed me again to silence me.

"Sven, this is important… I don't have much longer to live."

"God damn it Suki! Why are you saying stuff like this!? You aren't going to die." Sven seemed to be crying now. "I'm gonna take you to a hospital and their gonna make you get better. And when you're out of the hospital, we can get married and start a family."

"Sven… I'm not going to make it. It's too late to save me." I was crying now too and the pain was getting worse. "Sven, I would marry you if I knew I was going to live. I love you so much… make sure they put 'Vollfied' on my gravestone instead of 'Mikami'…" My breathing was speeding up and I knew my end was near. I had to tell him about Reiko now.

"Sven, listen to me… we have a daughter… please Sven… take care of her…" Blackness was closing in around my vision and I knew I only had moments left to live.

"Suki… what are you talking about?" Sven's topaz eye was filled with confusion, sadness and agony. I winced as my whole body was racked with a wave of pain. Sven took off his fedora and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Don't leave me Suki." He whispered into my ear.

"I'm s-sorry Sven… T-take care of our d-daughter…" I whispered back to him. "I… love… you…"

Those were the last words I'd ever spoken to my dear Sven. After the last word, I died. But I died happily though, in my Love's arms. I couldn't have asked for more.

**Epilogue**

"Suki…" I shook her gently. "Suki! Suki please! Wake up! Don't leave me…" I cradled by beautiful Suki in my arms as she died. As her limp body cooled, a growing hatred burned in my broken heart. Those gang bastards killed her. They killed Suki just to get to me. My tears overflowed and rolled down my cheeks. Suki's blood flowed out of her wounds and stained my hands and suit. I bowed my head and kissed her.

"Suki…" I sobbed, "Why you, Suki? Why did they have to kill you?" I held her closer to me then raised my head.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HER YOU GOD DAMNDED BASTARDS!? IT WAS ME YOU WERE AFTER! _ME_! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KILL _ME_!? AAAHHH!!!" I continued on like this for a while then called 911. The medics told me it was too late and there was nothing that they could do. Three days later, I buried her body under a young willow tree by the glade. The same glade that Suki and I had first shown our true feelings for each other. I crouched by her grave and ran my fingers along the name engraved in the stone. 'Suki Vollfied' it read.

"I'm so sorry Suki." I murmured. "I never meant to scare you. I was one of the few agents who were going in under-cover. That's why you didn't recognize me. I had to make a few physical changes so I dyed my hair green to look like them. And the call you got that night, the line was bad and you probably misunderstood the message. I wasn't the one who died. It was Lloyd who died saving me. I lost my right eye because I'd been taken hostage by that gang. Lloyd donated his eye to me. The transplant had to be done by a specialist in America. I couldn't contact you because the gang had taken away all my weapons and means of communication. When I was out of the hospital, the head of the IBI contacted me and told me that I was off the team. And only because I'd lost an eye. After I'd been fired, I was looking for a job but I couldn't find one so I couldn't make any money to buy me a plane ticket and fly back here… back to you." I rested my head in my hands. "I'm so sorry Suki… the gang, they were after me. They left me a message telling me to hurry back here if I ever wanted to see you alive. I came as fast as I could. The only reason they killed you was to make me suffer for what I'd done to them. Their leader had been taken to the police and they were hungry for revenge. I'm so, so sorry. I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you ever again. I didn't know that was a promise I couldn't keep. I will promise you this though, and I swear to God, I'll keep this one. I will find our daughter. I'll find her and I'll keep her safe even if it kills me. I won't let anything happen to her like I let happen to you. Good bye my dear Suki… I love you for always and eternity." I placed the bouquet of roses on her grave, got up, turned around and left.

The tears were steadily flowing from my eyes as I drove over the old stone bridge that led out of town. It was time to find my daughter.

**The End**

Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	6. Chapter 6

Recap: Okay, so Suki told Sven that she's a Demon. They've been together for a while and now Sven tells Su that he's gotta go on a long IBI mission, looking to bust a drug-ring. They go home and... Yeah... Again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubec City or the name Mikami

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**Chapter 6**

When I awoke the next morning, Sven was watching me. I gazed back into his eyes. I nestled myself close to him and closed my eyes once again to enjoy the last moments we'd share together. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me closer against his bare chest.

"I love you, so, so much, ma Chérie." He breathed. "Much more than you'll ever know." I tried not to but it couldn't be helped. I felt my eyes start stinging and then the tears came. My ragged breathing racked my entire body and made me shudder.

"Su…" soothed Sven. "It's going to be okay…"

"No…" I whispered. "No. You can't. Please, don't leave me…" Sven cradled me in his arms.

"Oh, Suki…" he whispered back to me. "Shh… It's okay. It's okay."

"Sven…" I was sobbing uncontrollably now. "You promised me, no matter what, you said you would never abandon me."

"Suki, I'm _not_ abandoning you. You _know_ that."

"_Sven!_" I yelled at him. "You promised me. You _promised_ me you'd _never leave me! _Not for _anything_!" Sven didn't say anything. He just held me closer and tighter.

Later that day, the IBI bastards came to take Sven away from me. I felt an incredible urge to kill them but I controlled it and after Sven was taken away, I took it out on a thick-trunked oak tree.

After I destroyed the trunk, I crept back into my house and went to the bedroom where I curled up on Sven's side of the bed with his fedora and a blood red rose that he'd left me with and cried myself to sleep.

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Yeah, yeah, I know. It was a short, pointless chapter but it had to be put in. I'm sorry for boring you, but it gets better, I PROMISE!!!

Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	7. Chapter 7

Recap: Sven visited Suki in the hospital.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Black Cat characters or the last name "Mikami".

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****Chapter 3**

If you've ever seen the movie "Made of Honor", then you'd get the general idea on what our friendship was after I got out of the hospital. We were best friends just like the man and the woman in that movie. We spent as much time together as possible. We went to fancy IBI dinner parties together, we went to movies, we were inseparable. One day, Sven invited me to his apartment for supper. When I'd arrived, everything was ready. He'd cooked and set up the table for us.

"Welcome to my… humble abode…?" he said when he opened the door.

"Humble?" I joked. "This is huge. And very nice too!"

"You think?"

"Yes. There's so much room…" I breathed, taking in the sight of his huge bachelor pad as he led me inside. He showed me to a spiralling metal staircase and followed me up. When we'd gotten to the top of them, there was a small door that was opened by Sven. I stepped through and was instantly on the top of the building. There was a pathway of small tea-candles on either way and a red carpet of fragrant rose petals scattered thickly in between the two rows of flickering lights.

"If you could just follow the path, miss, it will lead you to your dining area." He said in a mock Jeeve's voice. We both chuckled at this and walked slowly along in the candlelight. At the end of the path was a small table with a white cloth covering. Two plates and cutlery for two were set out as well as two empty wineglasses and a very expensive bottle of French wine were on the table also. Sven walked me up to one seat, pulled it out for me and let me settle in before going back down the path, through the little door and into his apartment. A few minutes later, he came back with a silver tray that had very fancy looking pasta in a bowl. He placed the bowl in the middle of the table and went, once again, into his apartment, only to come back less than a minute later with two three-pronged candelabras, set them on either side of the round table and lit them each, one by one. He smiled at me.

"Bon appetite." He took my plate and scooped some pasta onto it and paused before opening the wine.

"Suki, how old are you, really?"

"I'm nineteen." I said. "Why?"

"Just making sure." He opened the wine and poured it into my empty glass. "You just look way younger than nineteen."

"Really…?"

"Yeah. I'm not even joking."

"So, Sven…?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"How old are _you_?"

"Me? I'm twenty-one." He looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Oh, just wondering." I took a bite of the pasta. I was amazed at how good it was. I'd never tasted anything like it in my entire life.

"Sven, this is really good." I took another bite, savoured it then swallowed before continuing. "How did you do this?"

"Secret family recipe!" he grinned. "Just kidding! I just took some spaghetti noodles, cooked them and made a sauce with lots of herbs and natural spices. The meatballs are actually chicken breast, not ground beef. I cooked them the same way as you make butter chicken. When they were done, I chopped them up and threw them into the sauce and put that over the spaghetti noodles."

"Wow." I said. "You're a great cook." We continued in friendly conversation for the rest of our dinner. When we were done, we brought the stuff back into his apartment and did the dishes. Then, Sven walked me home, just to make sure I got back safely.

The next afternoon, Sven showed up at my house and we went for a long walk in the woods surrounding my territory. I'm sorry, I mean my _property_. I took him to the glade that I'd found upon exploring when I'd first arrived.

"Wow…" he breathed. "Where are we…?"

"It's my getaway place." I replied quietly.

"Your getaway place?" Sven looked curious.

"Yeah, you know. My safe haven? I come here when I'm sad or lonely or just to find peace."

"I see…" he murmured, looking around at the beautiful pond and island surrounded by ancient willow trees. "This is amazing, Su. Your lucky to have a place like this."

"You can have it too, if you want. I don't mind sharing with my best friend." Sven was silent for a while.

"Suki," he began, "I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about what, Svenny?"

"How is it possible…?"

"How's what possible?"

"How is it possible for you to be so beautiful? So perfect? So…" he paused as he searched for the word he was looking for. "So innocent?"

"Sven, what are you talking about?" I asked, very confused now.

"Suki," he looked at me sympathetically, "I think we should stop being friends." I was shocked at what he'd just said and could only stutter a reply.

"W-what do you mean 'stop being friends'!?"

"I mean, Suki," he held my hands in his. "I want to be more than just friends." I looked at him confusedly. He smiled that warm smile, his eyes like butterscotch toffee.

"I'm in love with you, Suki Mikami. My heart belongs to you now."

"Sven, I—" he silenced me with a kiss. A kiss… _ON THE LIPS_!!! He wrapped his arms around me and kept kissing me. I pulled back, terrified at Sven's sudden action.

"Suki…" Sven said gently, " What's wrong?"

"I can't, Sven. I can't." He looked at me curiously.

"Suki, it was only a kiss." He murmured.

"Sven… No. I can't do this. Not after what that gang did to me."

"Suki Mikami." Said the IBI officer. "I promise you, I'll never _ever _let anything like that happen to you ever again. I swear on the Gentleman Code." I looked at him sceptically. He looked at me very truthfully.

"Suki, do you think I'd lie to _you_? Of all people?"

"I'm scared, Sven." I started crying, "When I was taken hostage, they changed me. Emotionally. I'm scared of men. And as much as I hate to say it, I'm scared of you too. Especially right now." He looked at me apologetically.

"I'm so sorry, Suki…" he took my hand and led me to an old fallen log where we both sat down. "I wasn't thinking. You're just… so beautiful. I'm sorry I scared you. Can you forgive me?" I laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around my shoulder. He rested his head against mine and soothed me quietly. He kissed me on my cheek and told me everything was going to be okay. After a while, I raised my head and looked deep into his eyes. I saw the intensity of his love and his desire to make me his. For the first time since I met Sven, I felt the same things he was feeling. I couldn't stand it anymore. I just had to give in. I brought my hand around his head and entwined my fingers in his hair. I leaned towards him and within split seconds, we were kissing each other again and again. Before we knew it, we were in the grass, kissing and kissing again. We rolled around… straight into the lagoon. When we resurfaced, we were laughing softly and we kissed once more then swam to the island in the middle of the watery glade. In the centre was a huge willow tree with a hollowed out trunk. It was so big that five people would be able to lay down inside it with plenty of room to spare. We crawled onto the grass, went into the willow trunk and took off our sodden clothes. Once more, Sven wrapped his arms around my body and kissed me over and over again.

"I love you too Sven…" Was all I could say before having his lips press against mine in a long, passionate kiss that would seal our fate forever.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	8. Chapter 8

Recap: Oh boy! Looks like Suki's expecting! And what's even better... She's expecting SVEN'S kid! How exciting!

Disclaimer: I own everything else except Sven, Lloyd, Rubec City and the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 8**

The next week came and passed. I'd gotten over the morning sickness and I was noticeably gaining more weight. On many an occasion, I'd tried to tell Sven the big news but I was too nervous to say anything. I decided to record myself and send the tape to him.

"Hey Svenny Baby…?" I asked innocently one night, "Would you be able to give me the address of where you are so I can send you something…?"

"Suki, is there something you're not telling me?" he asked, seemingly concerned now.

"What, me _not_ telling you something?"

"Yeah. Is something wrong? Are you alright? Is someone stalking you?"

"Of course not, Sven!" I laughed, "They'd be dead before the first few hours of following me." Sven was silent. I asked him once again for the address and this time, he actually gave it to me. Then he had to go.

A few weeks later, I managed to buy a video camera. I toyed around with it until I figured out how to use it. Then, I set it up, turned it on, pressed the record button and started my message.

"Hey Sven Babe. I miss you lots. I hope you're okay. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know something. Something big… no. _Huge_ actually! Umm… Oh God, how do I say this…" I sat there for a moment before deciding on what to do. I got fed up with this and turned the video camera off. I needed time to think of how to say it. This was pretty hard to do, even on camera.

I spent the next four and a half months making videos. Which I then rejected soon afterwards. Nothing I said was right. One day, I'd gotten this brilliant idea on letting Sven know. I set the camera up again and started the message like I always did. I told Sven I had something big to tell him.

"Sven," I said, "I can't really say this, so I'll just let you see for yourself." I angled the camera so it was pointing at my now, swollen stomach. It was around five months by now and this, mind you, is the expected time for the baby to start making itself physically noticed.

"Yes Sven, it's what you think it is." I laughed quietly. "I'm pregnant!" I rubbed my abdomen lovingly as I said the last two words.

"Don't worry, Sven Babe. This isn't anyone else's child but yours—" I jumped at a sudden bump. I could only guess that it had come from the inside of my womb. From my— no _our_— baby!

"Oh my God, Sven!" I was ecstatic. "Our baby just kicked! It kicked me for the first time!" I finished off the message, telling Sven to be careful and that I loved him, then I turned the camera off, took the cassette out, put it in a bigger cassette, put that in a large envelope and wrote the address in which my dear Sven would be at. The next day, I sent it off, not knowing it would never reach him in time before their camp was moved to another location to follow their targets.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	9. Chapter 9

Recap: Okay, so, Suki bought a video camera for her way to tell Sven about their baby.

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Chapter 9

Two months later, I was going crazy over what to name the baby. I was trying names like Kiyoshi, Akako, Yoko, Sakura and Reiko. None of them really seemed to work. Well, at least not Akako, Yoko or Sakura. I was, however, favoring Kiyoshi and Reiko. Kiyoshi, a boy's name, means quiet and Reiko, a girl's name, means gratitude. I wasn't too sure whether the baby was going to be a girl or a boy so, I just called it 'Little One'. I was so excited at the fact that I was going to be the mother of Sven's child! I was also fretting about what my Little One's bedroom was going to look like. I thought it would be a pretty good idea to make the spare room into the nursery. After all, it _was_ just an empty room.

One night, I was up late, contemplating on what color to paint the room, what color the curtains should be, what kind of crib to get and things like that.

"Hmm… maybe I should go with this light yellow… Oh! But then it wouldn't fit with the curtains… Ugh! This is so _complicated_!" I was mumbling things like this to myself while rubbing my ever-swelling stomach. I felt my Little One's foot as it bombarded my hand's circular motions and I laughed. I started humming an old Demonic lullaby (which, mind you, isn't what you think it may sound like. Demonic lullabies are actually quite calming). This seemed to make the kicking stop. I stopped humming and the kicking started up again. I chuckled softly at the reactions my baby was giving. I started humming the lullaby again and my Little One was calm again. I kept humming for another half-hour. I felt no more movement from inside of me and I assumed that my little miracle was sleeping peacefully.

_Hmm… Ooh! That's nice! Shoot! It's too big… Oh, that paint is nice too…_ I thought this as I continued flipping through multiple catalogues. _Oh, I wish Sven Babe was here right now. He has such good taste in this kind of stuff. THAT'S PERFECT! Crap… too pricey… I wonder if I still have some cupped noodles…_ It was thoughts like these that were crowding my mind when I was startled.

_RING!… RING!… RING!_ The phone started ringing. I got up and answered it.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Babe!" came my Love's voice. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Did you get my parcel?"

"Parcel? I didn't get anything from you."

"Oh." I was a bit disappointed to hear this. I decided not to tell Sven what I'd put on the tape. I wanted him to be surprised. We spoke for a while longer before I asked a question that had been nagging at me since he'd left.

"Hey Sven?" I started.

"Yeah, Babe?"

"Are you ever coming back?" I asked quietly.

"Oh, probably not." He said calmly. Happily almost.

"_SVEN!_" I yelled.

"Aww, you know I'm coming back, Angel-Babe." He soothed me as best he could.

"Okay," I said, "When?" This had caught him off guard because it took him a while before he answered me.

"I… I don't know, Su." He sighed. "None of us know. We haven't caught the dealers yet. I'm sorry." I was silent. Sven tried at a feeble attempt to comfort me. Unfortunately, it only made me laugh because it was so poor. We continued with our conversation until he got kicked off (as usual). After we got off the phone, I went straight to the cuppords in search of instant noodles.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	10. Chapter 10

Recap: Suki is just picking out baby items when Sven calls, saying he didn't recieve the parcel she'd sent. After they hang up (get kicked off... AGAIN is more like it), Suki starts craving instant noodles.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 10**

By now, it had already been another two months. This was the ninth and I was due any day now. I had finally decided on what the nursery was going to look like and I'd bought the paint, the crib, the curtains and a bunch of other things. I'd also set the place up on my own as well. It was better than I'd imagined it to be and I was quite satisfied.

I was one week overdue and I was quite anxious. My abdomen wasn't as swollen as it normally would have been for one of my kind (a female Demon, that is). This is because we Demonesses are more likely to have multiple births; we get fairly large by the sixth month. But not me. I figured that I was only having one child this time because it would be Half-Demon, Half-Human. At least I could pass for a woman having a normal pregnancy in the world of Humans. And at least I _was_ having a child.

One night, I'd received a phone call. What I'd learned was the last thing I'd wanted to hear.

"Sven!" I exclaimed, "It's about time you called! I haven't heard from you in days!"

"Is this Miss Suki Mikami?" came an unfamiliar man's voice from a very staticy phone line.

"Yes…" I replied cautiously, "Who's asking?"

"Scott Mirello. I'm an agent in the International Bureau of Investigation. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Oh…?" He'd gotten my full attention. "What's going on?" The static on the other end of the phone line was overpowering and I'd only gotten a few words before it gave out completely.

"We found the druggies……. Lost some men……. Vollfied lost his……. Great loss for—" And then the phone line was cut short. I couldn't believe it. Sven had been killed. My dear Sven Babe who had rescued me on that fateful day. The man who'd brought me flowers every chance he'd gotten. The man who I was insanely in love with. The man who's child I was to bear within days from now. The man who I'd never see again. I dropped the phone and fell to my knees.

"_SVEN!!!_" I cried, "Sven… Oh, Sven. Please, no…" I was sobbing uncontrollably, my heart was broken. I sat there, leaning over my large stomach, with my head in my hands, feeling the movement of Sven's unborn child shifting around within my womb as I wept tears of mourning for the father it would never meet.

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It was October now, and I was one month overdue. I was lying in bed, crying, much like I did nowadays, still mourning for my lost Love. My abdomen, much like the moon, was getting larger and much rounder. The days passed and I was always expecting a call from _him_ even though I knew I'd never get one ever again.

October 30th, the night of the full moon, I felt my Little One moving quite a bit more than it usually did. It flipped over, then flipped again, as though trying to find the right position for something. For what though, I didn't have a clue. At 8:46 PM, I was quite tired and decided I'd turn in early. When I went upstairs, I caught a slight trace of _him_, as though he'd passed through the hall not too long ago.

"Sven…?" I stupidly called out. I waited. No answer. I knew very well that I wasn't ever going to hear Sv— _his_ voice ever again. It pained me to even think of my Dearly-Beloved's name. I collected myself once more and went into the bedroom to sleep.

I was sleeping quite peacefully when the pains started. They half woke me and I groaned a little bit.

"Mph… Sven…" I mumbled, "Sven, wake up…" I rolled over to nudge Sven awake.

"Sven, I think it's time." I said more urgently. "I think the baby's coming!" By now, I was fully awake. I sat up and looked over to the clock on the nightstand. It was just after midnight. I looked to my left. No Sven. I'd forgotten that he'd never lay beside me again. I'd forgotten that he'd never be there to witness the birth of our child. I'd forgotten that he'd been taken from me forever. A wave of pain swept over me and I cried out. The pain subsided for a few minutes then came once again, this time more overwhelming than before. With every wave of pain, the break in between grew shorter and shorter until there was absolutely no relief whatsoever.

_Dammit!_ I thought, _The contractions started! I'm not ready for this! Why oh why can't Sven be here! I need you more than ever right now!_ I was hunched over when a puddle appeared beneath me. _Great,_ I pondered to myself, _my water just broke. Okay, that means the baby is on it's way right now. If Sven were here, he'd tell me to stay calm. To breathe. Okay, I can do this._ I took deep, steady breaths, readying myself for the delivery of my Little One. My maternal instincts were kicking in now, telling me to push. I obeyed, tensing up with everything I had to offer. The pain was burning, coursing through my veins. I felt the adrenaline coming and my Demonic features making themselves visible. I growled, clenching my teeth. A moment's relief came and I leaned back on the pillows I'd managed to prop up against the headboard, then I had to push once again. I used every last ounce of strength I had to deliver my child. I didn't have a lot and I knew it because I could feel my drive diminishing swiftly. I gave one last, agonizing push and it was all over. I head the cry of my baby ringing through the stillness of the air. I gathered what strengths I had left and scooped up the tiny, crying bundle. I had a daughter. Instincts told me to get rid of the cord. I couldn't fight them. I laid her gently on the bed, and leaned in close to her. I felt the fleshy thing between my fangs as I bit down on it. I felt it come loose and I opened my jaws to let it fall. I picked up my daughter and leaned back on the pillows once more.

"Reiko." I said gently, "My little Reiko." I wrapped her up in a corner of the blanket covering the bed and held her in my arms. Exhaustion swept over me and the world went black. _Where am I?_ I thought, curiously, _Am I dying? No! I can't die! If I do, my little Reiko will die too. She'll have no one to look after her. No one to take care of her!_ I fought furiously to open my eyes, to live, to see my newborn daughter live and grow as well. I'm not sure how long I fought for, but eventually, I could hear Reiko wailing in my arms. Finally my eyes opened. I looked down at my daughter, a tear in my eye. She looked so much like her father. So much like Sven. I quieted her down and let her nurse before watching her fall asleep. I too, was quite tired, as you can imagine, and felt confident that I wouldn't succumb to death twice in one night. I gave in and fell asleep.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	11. Chapter 11

Recap: Suki got a call saying Sven is dead. That puts her in a depression. On October 31st, under the light of a full moon, Suki gives birth to a baby girl whom she names Reiko. As Suki is resting after having just had Reiko, she falls into a pit of blackness and almost dies.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 11**

The sun was shining through the window when I woke up. I looked down to see my little Reiko sleeping in my arms. She was so tiny. I couldn't believe she was real. As I looked upon her, I noticed that she had two short, black, stripes that ran from the back of her jaw-line, almost all the way to her chin on each side of her face. She also had three black stripes that wound around her chubby little right arm. They started from under her elbow and ended to just on top of her wrist. She was so peaceful right now. How was it that she was going to grow up to become a Demon? It seemed almost impossible right now. She shifted a little and yawned. When she opened her eyes, they were bluey-grey. Her pupils were that of a Demon too. A long, black slit down both eyes. Her face twisted a little and she started crying. I assumed she was hungry so I nursed her again. When she stopped, she started whimpering again. I started humming the lullaby I'd hummed to her so long ago and she stopped. I kissed her and nestled her closer to me before, once again, we both fell asleep.

Later that day, when we'd both woken up, I bathed and fed (yes again) my little bundle of joy. I took some of the baby clothes I'd bought and put them on her (by the way, she was absolutely adorable). Every day, it was the same thing every three hours or so. Eat, sleep, change, eat sleep change… and so on and so forth. You may not think there is any happiness in that but for a new mother, it is amazing. Over the weeks, Reiko was already getting bigger and stronger so I brought her outside for walks more often. She was growing so fast and before I knew it, she was already a year old. Her eyes were grey, like mine and her hair… Her hair was blonde like her father's but it had a dusty, golden tint to it as well. _She must have gotten it from me._ I thought so because my hair was long, golden brown and slightly waved. A month and a half later, she'd said her first word: "Mommy". I was so proud of her. Her voice was so high but she was still cute, no matter what! Every chance I got, I'd make video recordings of her, so that if there was even the slightest chance that Sven was still alive and he came back to us, he'd be able to see Reiko growing up. Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn't favoring us.

By two-and-a-half-years-old, my little ray of sunshine was chattering and she took every chance she got to do so.

"Mommy?" she tugged at my shirt, trying to get my attention. "Mommy, why do I have lines on my awm? I have them; I have them on my cheeks too, Mommy. What awe the lines for?" I crouched down to get to her level. I took her tiny hands in mine and smiled at her.

"You have _stripes_ on your arm and your cheeks because you're a Demon, Sunshine. They make you special amongst our kind. Do you understand now?" she nodded enthusiastically.

"Mommy?" she asked again.

"Yes Ko-Ko?" I chuckled at this because I knew she was just going to pepper me with questions now.

"What's a Dee-min?" I couldn't help laughing a little at this. It was so adorable how she said 'Dee-min' instead of 'Demon'.

"A _Demon_, Ko-Ko, is what you and I both are."

"So we awen't nowmal?"

"It's nothing like that, it's just that we aren't Humans." She furrowed her small brow as she thought this over.

"So, we'we not Hyoomins?"

"Well," this was a difficult question to answer. "I'm a Full-Demon but, you, Reiko, you're a Half-Demon." Reiko's eyes went wide when I told her she was a Half-Demon.

"WHAT!?" she exclaimed, "I'M ONLY HALF OF ME!? WHEWE'S MY OTHEW HALF!?"

"Ko-Ko, just because you're a Half-Demon doesn't mean you're missing half of yourself."

"Then what does it mean?" tears were springing to her eyes now and a few large tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It means you aren't just one thing. You're half of two things put together." She looked at me confusedly. She obviously didn't understand.

"You are half Demon _and_ half Human."

"Half Hyoomin? What do you mean?"

"Reiko, you are half Demon because of me."

"Then," she sniffed. "Then why am I half Hyoomin too?"

"You are half _Human_ because of your father." She narrowed her eyes, trying hard to understand what I was saying.

"You're father was a Human. My being a full Demon and your father being a full Human, two full lives made another full life that was half of each of them. Do you understand now?" Reiko just looked at me before she ran outside, then ran back in with two different leaves. She plopped herself on the floor and put the leaves down in front of her.

"So, pwetend this one," she held up a maple leave, "is a Dee-min and pwetend this one," she held up the other, an oak leave, "is a Hyoomin." She ripped the two leaves in half and put the halves on the floor.

"If I put them like this," she moved the halves together to make an odd, new leaf. "Then it is half Hyoomin-Leaf and half Dee-min-Leaf." She looked up at me with large, curious eyes.

"Is that like what I am, Mommy?"

"Yes, Ko-Ko. That's exactly like what you are. Except, you aren't a leaf. You're much more special than that. And no matter what you are, I will always love you." She stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I picked her up and swung her around as she said "I love you too, Mommy!"

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	12. Chapter 12

Recap: Reiko learned that she was a Half-Demon. She panics but then discovers that being half of two lives to make a new, whole life isn't so bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami

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**Chapter 12**

Three and a half years later, six-year-old Ko-Ko had just started grade one. She was so excited to finally go to school and make new friends. On the morning I'd gotten what any of you would think was a "rude awakening".

"Wake up mom!" was the first thing I heard. "Wake up! Wake up!" Reiko was bouncing up and down with excitement. I'd been sleeping when she first tackled me so I hadn't heard her come running down the hall. When she'd gotten to my door, she'd flung it open and came charging in. She made a mighty leap onto the bed and landed, where else but squarely on top of me, thus, waking me up. She got up onto her feet and started jumping again before she flopped down to shake me awake.

"Mom!" she complained, "Come on mom, wake up!"

"Ko-Ko…" I mumbled, "What time is it?" she immediately stopped shaking me to look over to the bedside digital clock.

"Umm… six dot dot o three." She said. I moaned. It was six 'o' three on a Monday morning. We didn't have to be at the school until nine thirty.

"Ko-Ko, go back to bed."

"BUT WE'LL BE LATE FOR MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!"

"Reiko…" I thought of how I would be able to pursuade her to back to her room and sleep for a while longer.

"Ko-Ko," I began, "If you don't go back to sleep now, you'll be tired at school and you'll fall asleep while all the other kids are learning new things." She seemed to consider this quite heavily.

"But, if I fall asleep, who'll wake you up?"

"My alarm clock."

"Oh," she was silent for a moment. "But what if it's broken?"

"Don't worry, my little Ko-Ko," I reassured her, "It's not broken. Now, go back to bed." She climbed over me and scrambled under the blankets, into my arms before she _finally_ settled down. I wrapped my arms around her as her breath became slow and steady. She was asleep. Now, I'd be able to catch some shuteye too.

Eight thirty came around and my alarm clock went off. I opened my eyes and nudged Ko-Ko awake too. She yawned and stretched.

"Lemme sleep mom…" she muttered to me.

"What happened to 'wake up mom! We're going to be late for my first day of school'?" I chuckled.

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed before bolting upright and hopping out of bed. She darted out the door and down the hallway into her room.

I was waiting downstairs for her with her breakfast just coming out of the frying pan. Reiko bounded down the stairs and hopped into her chair at the table, eyeing the bacon and ham I'd just prepared for her. She gobbled her breakfast up so fast that as soon as she'd finished eating it, she got the hiccups. By nine sharp, we were out the door and running through the thick woods into town. Just in the tree line, Reiko got off my back and I shape-shifted once more, into my Human form. (I'd been a Youkai beast so we'd be able to get there on time. We lived quite deep in the heart of the woods so no one would find us.) I bent down in front of Reiko and looked into her gentle, grey eyes.

"Promise me something Reiko." I began, "Promise me you won't tell anyone about what we are or how we get back and forth from our house to town."

"Why can't I tell anyone?" she inquired.

"Because, Ko-Ko," I began, "Some Humans don't believe Demons exist anymore, and those who do believe in us…" I knew I should tell her what happens to Demons when Humans who believe in us find us, but I couldn't.

"Well, things just don't work out between us, Sunshine." I finally finished answering her question.

"Okay…" she seemed disappointed.

"Come on, Ko-Ko." I said as I took her hand in mine, "Let's go to see your new school."

When we'd gotten there, the interview went quite well and Reiko was playing with the other kids so she didn't notice me leave. Although I'd told her I'd be leaving her there, I was still worried that she'd put up a fuss once I decided to go. Lucky for me, she didn't.

When it came time to pick her up from school, I waited outside as the children flooded out and ran into their parents' arms. As Reiko spotted me, she hurtled towards me and hugged my legs.

"Hi mommy!" she exclaimed.

"Hello Ko-Ko," I hugged her back. "How was your first day at school?" Reiko was so excited that she went into great detail about everything she'd learned and everything she'd done. As she sat on my back while I ran us home, she sang the songs that the teacher had taught the class. She was so happy now; it was hard to believe that her days at school would be coming to an end soon.

Halfway through her first year at school, she sauntered over to me where I was waiting for her after school one day. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. She wrapped her arms around my legs and hugged me.

"Hey Ko-Ko." I said cheerily. "How was your day?"

"Hi mom." She replied flatly. "My day was… okay I guess." Now I knew 100% something was wrong.

"What did you do today?"

"We did an art project."

"And…? What did you do for your art project?"

"We had to draw a picture of our family."

"That's nice." I squeezed her hand. "Did you have fun today?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"The other kids made fun of me."

"No," I breathed. "Why?"

"Because they all had their dads in their pictures."

"Did they make fun of Lina too?" (Lina was the friend Reiko had made at school on their first week.)

"No. They were making fun of me because my dad doesn't live with us."

"Neither does Lina's dad."

"Yeah but, they didn't laugh at her because Lina knows who her dad is. I don't."

"Didn't Lina stand up for you?"

"No… she just…" Reiko trailed off.

"Yes…?" I prompted, "What did Lina do?" Reiko was biting her lip, contemplating on whether to tell me.

"Lina just made fun of me too." Reiko was crying now and I picked her up, off the ground and hugged her close to me. I carried her home, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright and that she'd make up with Lina soon and they'd be friends again.

A few weeks later, Reiko came out of the school crying as the other kids ran after her, pointing and laughing. One of the boys ran in front of her and pushed her backwards. I was getting angry with this and I started walking over to where they were harassing my daughter. When I was halfway there, some of the students had picked up sticks and small rocks. _Oh Great Dog Demon of the Western Plains, _I thought inwardly, _what are those kids going to do with all those stones?_ I picked up my pace just as my question was answered. The kids started _throwing_ the objects _at Reiko_! I started running, trying to surpress the burning fire that was flowing through my veins. I couldn't let my True Form show. Not here. I knew that if I did, lots of innocent people would be killed. As much as I didn't want to, a low, guttural growl escaped my throat. Reiko was on the ground, crying. The growl got louder and the landscape was covered with a slight hue of red. _Great!_ I thought to myself, _My eyes are starting to glow. This is just PERFECT!_ I looked at Reiko's antagonizers and snarled at them.

"Why are you hurting my daughter? What has she ever done to you?" I was extremely mad now and I was quivering with anger. The children were clustered together and were shaking in fear.

"Go home _now_!" I growled at them. "I swear to God, if I ever see any of you little _brats_ hurting Reiko ever again…" I struggled to avoid saying the word 'kill' to them. "Every single one of you will be _extremely_ and _eternally_ sorry you ever crossed paths with Suki Mikami. Do you understand?" They all nodded their heads.

"Good." I snorted. "Now, _GO HOME_!!!" I turned my back on them and scooped Reiko up into my arms. Both her knees and the palms of her hands were scraped up. I clutched her protectively to myself and quickly walked to the tree line. Reiko was crying uncontrollably now and my emotions were beyond rage.

"Don't worry Ko-Ko," I soothed her, "You won't have to see those kids ever again. I'm taking you out of that so-called 'school'. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know about this world. Things will get better, you'll see."

When we got home, I cleaned out Reiko's cuts and saw to trying to ease her emotional pain.

"Mom, why doesn't my dad live with us?" She'd caught me off guard.

"Wha--?" I was astonished and fumbled for an answer.

"I said why doesn't my dad live with us?"

"Well…" I began slowly, "You're father and I haven't been together for almost six years, Ko-Ko." She looked sad when I said this.

"So… is it like Lina's parents?"

"Oh Reiko," I breathed, "Of course not. Me and you're father… we…" Reiko looked confused. "Well, we loved each other very much. He wouldn't have left me if he'd had the choice. And he'd probably be with us today if he hadn't gone on that mission. We'd be a family if he hadn't been…" I couldn't finish my sentence. It was just too painful to think of the fate that had befallen my Love. I didn't want to think about it so I just decided that Reiko and I would go for a walk in the woods and spend some time together.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	13. Chapter 13

Recap: We've skipped ahead a few years to Reiko's first day of school where she makes a "friend" named Lina. She is having a hard time coping with the other children and is then turned to being the target of their jeering and what not. Suki obviously gets pissed and growls (literally) at the kids who were harassing Reiko. She then decides to take Reiko out of school so she can be "homeschooled".

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 13**

For a year now, I'd been teaching Reiko at home to shelter her from the harshness of this hateful world. Not only was Ko-Ko made fun of because her father was dead and she didn't know about that but she was also made fun of because the stripes that showed on her cheeks and arm. That's besides the point though. What I'd been teaching Reiko was what my mother had taught me when I was Reiko's age. I was teaching her how to channel and control her Demonic powers and abilities. She'd gotten the hang of the jumping and leaping. Plus, she was quite fast. I'd taught her the Demonic Tongue and was beyond impressed and proud that Ko-Ko was catching on to all of this so quickly. She was after all, a Half-Demon. But there was one thing that she couldn't master. And that was finding her True Self and shifting into a Youkai Beast. All animal-based Demons can do this but Reiko wasn't able to transform. I tried everything from getting her to remember bad memories, scaring her, making her angry and everything in between but no matter what I did, it just wasn't working. I was beginning to think that maybe she didn't have enough Demonic blood in her to be able to do these techniques that were so easy, a newborn Demon could master them.

"Ugh! I can't do it!" exclaimed a very frustrated Reiko. "Why won't it work?"

"This is good Ko-Ko!" I encouraged her as much as I could so she wouldn't feel bad. "The angrier you are, then maybe you'll be able to channel you're Demonic blood and shape-shift into you're True Form. Now, try it again." Reiko clasped her hands together and squeezed her eyes shut tight in an effort to gather her concentration. Suddenly, there was a puff of smoke and within the small cloud, I saw a bushy tail and tufted ears. And just as soon as they had appeared, they vanished instantly and Reiko was on her knees, huffing and breathing heavily.

"Did I do it?" she panted.

"Yes Reiko! You did it! You shifted into your Youkai form! I'm so proud of you!" It was getting dark so I told Reiko that she would be able to try again the next day. Together, we walked into the house to eat the supper I had cooking on the stovetop.

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The next day, Reiko and I went outside to practice her shape-shifting. Strangely enough, Reiko was unable to repeat what she'd done the day before and that set her on a fit of frustration. I calmed her and told her to take a break before trying again. We walked for a while until we found a peaceful clearing deep in the woods surrounding our territory. We settled ourselves down and sat in silence for a while.

"You know Ko-Ko," I started, "You remind me of myself when I was your age and my mom was teaching me how to channel my Demonic energy."

"Really?" she asked, seeming quite surprised.

"Yeah. I was just like you, Ko-Ko. I couldn't figure out how to shape-shift until I was about 12 years old." Reiko's eyes opened wide.

"What? Really?"

"Yes. Twelve whole years until I figured it out. And, I'm a Full-Demon."

"Hey mom?"

"Yes Ko-Ko?"

"How did you figure out how to shape-shift?" The question was unexpected and thinking of how to answer it was quite challenging. I decided to tell her the whole story and as I began, the painful images and memories filled my mind once more.

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Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	14. Chapter 14

Recap: Suki has been teaching Reiko the Demonic ways since she was pulled out of school. Now, Suki is trying to teach young Reiko how to shift into a Youkai Beast. Reiko gets it for a split second but then reverts back to her normal form.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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**Chapter 14**

"When I was twelve, my mother, who was also your grandmother, was trying to teach me to shape-shift. Nothing she did worked and she was beginning to think I hadn't inherited the genes to enable me to use that one specific ability. One day, my mother came home and told me to run. I asked her why but all she told me was to not ask questions. She'd answer them on the way to wherever it was we were heading.

'Where are we going?' I asked as I rode upon my mother's back.

'We're going to find a new place to live. It's too dangerous where we are now.'

'Why? What's so dangerous about our home?'

'A slayer has been tracking me for some time now and he's finally decided to come and kill us. Me, you and your brother.'

'But mother,' I asked, 'Can't you just fight this guy and kill him? You know, like you did to the last one?' My mother slowed down to a stop. She looked around wearily and crouched so I could slip off her back. Once on the ground, she got up and faced me. She was very serious.

'Suki, I can't fight him like I did the last one. Not in this condition.' She tossed her massive head to the left, indicating her swollen abdomen. 'There's too much of a risk.'

'But mother, you fought the last slayer and killed him. You were pregnant back then too.'

'That was on the beginning. There was less of a risk that your brother would get hurt back then. I'm due any day now. Do you really expect me to risk your brother's life and mine just to kill some petty Human?' I remained silent as my mother paced around me in a circle. She was growling slightly and I knew she was annoyed that I'd asked such a pointless question.

'Forgive me mother.' I bowed my head. She stopped in front of me and seated herself down. She draped her huge, clawed paw over my shoulder and rubbed her forehead against mine as gently as she could.

'That's fine, Suki. Besides, why kill something so pathetic as a Human when you can just outsmart it?' She winked at me and motioned for me to climb on her back once more to continue putting distance between us and the slayer.

"A few days later, we had to stop running because my mother was getting quite tired. She told me to go search for some food while she fixed a makeshift camp where we would spend the night before moving on once more. I tracked down a herd of deer and killed a few to bring back to my mother so we would have something to eat. She was very proud of me for making my first official kill and let me have the first pickings of our prey.

We stayed in that spot for a few more days before deciding to move on. We were just about to go when my mother let out a pained growl and collapsed.

'Mother!' I cried, 'Mother, are you okay? What's wrong?'

'Its your brother,' she panted, 'Your brother is on his way.' I was so scared, I had no idea what was going to happen. Also, we were both on edge because we could scent the slayer's approach. He'd reach us within two to three days time. This was the worst possible moment for my brother to be born.

"Hours later, my brother, Kaiyan, was born. My mother was so exhausted that she had to shift back into her Human-Form. With her like that, we couldn't go anywhere and we were forced to stay put until she regained her strength. Within those three days, the slayer's scent was growing stronger and stronger. We were all antsy and wanted to get moving as soon as possible. On the third day, the scent was so overpowering that my mother knew the slayer was going to strike that day.

'Suki, listen to me.' She was extremely nervous and this was the first time I'd ever seen her like this. 'Suki, I want you to take Kaiyan and run. Run as fast and as far as you can. I'll try to delay the slayer and meet up with you soon. I promise I'll find you two. I love you both.' She kissed both Kaiyan and me before placing him in my arms and shoving me on my way. I took a few more steps before turning around and watching my mother transform and then vanish into the brush. I turned and started running. I heard screams and growls, roars and laughs. I was so scared for my mother but I still kept on running. Suddenly, I heard an unearthly, blood-curdling sound. I stopped dead in my tracks. I sniffed the air. Blood. There was the scent of blood on the wind. I spun around and bolted back to where my mother had left my brother and me. The scent of blood was strong now and I followed it to where my mother and the slayer had been fighting. There, in the dirt, was my mother lying in a puddle of her own blood. I ran to her side and dropped to my knees. I held Kaiyan close to me. My mother had a golden staff lodged in her chest and a sizzling prayer slip stuck to her right shoulder.

'S-Suki…' she tried to speak but was unable to due to some blood that was rising out of her throat. 'Suki… Take Kaiyan… Run… S-slayer… Right… Behind… You…' My mother was overtaken by a shudder then coughed up more thick, frothy blood and lay still. I was so shocked, I hadn't even detected the slayer creeping up on me until it was too late. I was plowed over on to my side. The slayer was crouching over me, pinning me down. Blood covered his face as he smiled menacingly at Kaiyan and me.

'You.' His eyes narrowed, 'You are a spawn of the Demon I just slew. You are also the spawn of the Demon I killed eight and a half months ago.'

'So it was you. _You_ were the slayer that _killed_ my _father_!'

'Yes I was. A formidable fighter he was. It took a lot of effort to get this trophy from him.' He smiled as he held up a necklace that had my father's canine fangs and claws strung on the rope. In between the claws and fangs were tufts of my father's fur.

'You're a monster.' I growled at him through my teeth. The slayer just laughed at me.

'Au contraire my dear. It is _you_ who is the monster. _You_ are the Demon here, not I.' The slayer put his blood-soaked hand around my throat and squeezed.

'You won't have to wait long to see your mother and father. And neither will your brother.' I felt hot fire burn down my spine and claws sprang to my fingertips while my small fangs elongated to about three quarters of an inch. My surroundings were bathed in red and I felt myself shifting into something else. I pushed up and let an insult fly from my mouth but instead of the word, I was surprised to hear a noise that sounded like a growl, a roar and a screech all mixed together. I looked down to see paws with dangerously curved claws on the ends of the toes. I'd done it. I'd finally transformed into my True Self! I saw Kaiyan on the ground, crying and the slayer was creeping towards him. I felt something intense. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. I was so full of rage at that point that I launched myself at the slayer and pinned him to the ground. I was about the same size as a coyote so I wasn't having too much success in keeping him down. He stopped moving and I relaxed. Before I knew what was happening, he slipped his hand into his coat pocket and then slapped something onto my left shoulder. Pain ran throughout my whole body and I cried out. I heard a sizzling sound and looked to see a prayer slip stuck to my shoulder. It was the most painful thing I'd ever felt in my life. I reared up onto my hind legs and fell over. The slayer got up and strode over to my helpless little brother.

'Don't worry little abomination,' he murmured, 'I'll have mercy. The end won't be painful for you.' Then the slayer took out some powder and put it in front of Kaiyan's nose. Kaiyan instantly fell asleep. I watched, horrified as his breathing grew slow and shallow until he stopped breathing altogether. I got up and crouched as the slayer walked over to my mother's body and placed Kaiyan beside her. He grabbed the staff that was still in my mother's chest and yanked it out. The end of it was covered and dripping in dark blood. He turned and faced me.

'Now to finish off the little Demon bitch.' He ran at me, staff in hand as I ran at him, claws extended. We clashed together and fell down. I swiped blindly at him and heard him yell out in pain. A shiver ran down my spine as his staff smashed into my jaw. I fell over once again but this time the slayer had me pinned. He took out a knife that was as red as a Demon's blood. A smile broke out across his face as he leaned in on me. I twisted my body around, trying to claw myself free of his grasp only to be immobilized by a sharp pain burning down my back. I scented more blood and turned my head to see a long cut running down the length of my back. Bright blood was oozing its way out of my flesh. I was grabbed, picked up and slammed down once more on to my back. The slayer leaned in once more but I was ready this time. I tensed all my muscles and started clawing his stomach with my hind paws as I lashed out with my front paws at his throat and face. Blood spattered my face and the slayer croaked something as a river of his own blood cascaded out of his mouth. He collapsed on me and I was being crushed by his weight. I used what strength I had left to push him off me and dragged myself to my mother and my brother's sides. I was on my own now and I had no idea what to do. My entire family was dead. And I'd just killed a Human. I was in shock so I just stayed there.

"When I was healed, I moved on after burying my dead mother and brother. I grew up alone and learned street smarts. I tried to avoid Human contact as much as possible. Wherever I went, there were no Demons to be found. I'd assumed that they'd all been killed and I was the last. When I came to Rubeck City, I hid in the woods where I found this abandoned mansion. I couldn't smell any trace of Humans so I claimed it for my own. And that, my little Ko-Ko, is how I learned to shape-shift into my Youkai Form." Reiko was silent as she took in the details of my mother's death that was soon followed by my brother Kaiyan's. Now she knew what had happened to her grandmother and uncle as well as all the other Demons of this brutal world.

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Some good insight as to how Suki used to be and what happened to her family. This is my favourit chapter, and I wouldn't mind getting your opinions on this chapter. Thanks alot!

Please revew! PLZ!!! I'd like to know if it's any good so when this story's done, I'll see if people liked it enough for me to write a sequel!


	15. Chapter 15 Final Chapter

Recap: Suki told Reiko about when she first transformed into a Youkai Beast and what happened to the rest of her family.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami or the attack Blades of Blood. (the attack is borrowed from Rumiko Takahashi)

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**Chapter 15**

A year came and passed. Reiko was a rambunctious eight-year-old. She'd mastered the Demonic art of creating an Illusion Self. She'd also mastered a lot more of the many arts I had to teach her. She'd even mastered a few of the basic Kitsune Illusions. Honestly, I don't think a mother's ever been as proud of her child as I was of Reiko as I watched her learn and grow. I just wished that her dear father could have been there to see the miracle of life as well. June 23rd was his birthday. Every other year, when that day came around, I'd curl up in bed with the fedora he'd left behind and cry myself to sleep. Of course I did this after Ko-Ko was asleep because I didn't want her to see me crying. Little did I know that I wouldn't be around to do that for an eighth time for my days were numbered.

On March 29th, Ko-Ko and I had been practicing her Youkai Transformations because, yes, Reiko still hadn't mastered it yet. By the end of that day, we were both exhausted. It was 9:11PM by the time we went inside. After we ate a very late supper, I tucked my little Ko-Ko into bed and kissed her goodnight. I washed, dried and put away the dishes and went to bed. Strangely enough though, I couldn't sleep. I had a feeling in my gut that was telling me something bad was going to happen. Little did I know that that feeling was my instinct telling me to get Reiko and leave that place as soon as possible. I was so stupid. I ignored the feeling and forced myself to sleep. My dreams were filled with nightmares and visions of my one and only Love. He seemed to be trying to warn me but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Eventually though, I fell into a peaceful void of sleep.

At 1:43AM on March 30th, I was literally yanked out of sleep and thrown onto my floor. I startled awake to see two or three men crowding in my bedroom, all laughing and sneering at me. I blinked a few times to clear my eyes of sleep-grit. The men were still there. One of the men crouched down and leaned in on me. A little too close for my taste.

"Are you Suki Mikami?" he quietly asked me.

"W-who are you? What do you want with me?" I stuttered.

"What do we want with you?" he chuckled, "It's not what we want with _you_. It's what we want with that IBI bastard _Sven Vollfied_."

"What are you talking about? Sven is dead. He has been for almost eight years now."

"Oh, he's dead is he? Well, that's not what I heard." The man stood up and looked around him as he asked his comrades; "Is that Sven guy dead boys? Didn't we see him crawling out of our hideout when that other rat with the glasses was killed protecting him?" The dark room was filled with the cruel agreement of the other men.

"Oy! Lelan', din't tha' bloke lose 'is oye too?"

"Hey, yeah. That's true Tom."

"Heh heh heh! Now he's half-blind!" jeered another of the men, this one was raggedy and thin unlike the first man, Tom, who was tall and muscular.

"No…" my head was spinning now, "Th-that can't be… Sven, he died in an explosion while trying to bust a drug-ring." The first man, Leland, knelt down to my level once more. He reached his hand out and gently grabbed my lower jaw between his thumb and his index finger, forcing me to look into his terrible eyes.

"So, beautiful," he guffawed, "Are you his lover or aren't you?"

"What does it matter to you?" I spat back at him.

"Eh, Lelan', she's a feisty one ain't she, that lass?"

"Well, lookie here!" said the thin man, "It's the hat that bastard wore all the time!" Tom and Leland looked up.

"Good job Trent. That confirms that this bitch is the one we're looking for." The men laughed once more. "Tom, Trent, I want you both to search the house and take any valuables and load them up. I have some business to attend to with this little whore." The two other men nodded and left the room. I watched them go through the doorway and into the hall. _Oh Great Dog Demon of the Western Plains, please don't let them go right. Please don't let them find Reiko._ I watched them as they turned left but my view was soon blocked by the Leland man. He grabbed my upper arm and pulled me up then pushed me back onto the bed. He took off his leather jacket and threw it to the floor. Before I knew it, he had me pinned to the bed and was looking down on me. A sudden flashback of when I was being held prisoner by that gang flashed in my mind. I saw the leader prowling towards me. He slapped me so I'd be subdued. I saw him dragging me off and into a dark room. I heard a female voice screaming and my flashback ended.

"Hey Leland." Said a woman's voice.

"Rita, can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Well, if you aren't too busy, check out what I found." Leland turned his head and looked behind him. The woman called Rita dragged something into view and I couldn't believe my eyes. The woman had Reiko by the arm. My little Ko-Ko was being touched by this Human filth!

"It looks like that bitch had a little brat while the IBI rat was out hunting us." Leland laughed out loud and turned to face me once more.

"Was that brat fathered by Sven?" I couldn't answer. I was too enraged by what I saw.

"Hey Leland, look at the stripes this little piece of shit has on her arm and cheeks! She looks like a freak!" Leland got up to examine Reiko more closely. I grabbed his arm. He turned and once more, looked at me.

"Please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt her." I pleaded, "She hasn't done anything wro—!" I was cut off by a very painful slap across my face.

"Mommy!" cried Reiko. Leland and Rita just laughed. Lelan pushed Rita aside and leaned out the doorway.

"Tom! Hey Tom!" he called, "C'mere! You wanna have some fun? Rita just found something better than a barrel of monkeys!" Immediately after Leland finished talking, there was a huge clattering coming from below us. I could hear him pounding up the stairs and through the hall. He appeared in the doorway and looked expectantly at Leland.

"So what 'ave ye got fer me Lelan'?" he asked in his thick Irish accent.

"A little whelp to get rid of, amigo!" snorted Rita. She was obviously Mexican. Tom looked down and saw Reiko. He reached out his huge hand and grabbed her by the front of her pajamas.

"Put her _down_!" I snarled at him.

"Heh heh heh! I'll snap yer neck like a twig." Reiko was crying uncontrollably as Tom wrapped his massive paw around her neck. Now I knew what I had to do. I didn't care if they saw my True Form. I had to save Reiko. I felt the fire burn down my spine and through my body. I saw the faces of the three gang members twist from evil amusement to absolute horror. They were terrified and I knew it. I pushed Leland off of me and launched myself at Tom, bowling him over and catching Reiko.

"Run!" I ordered her, "Hide. Don't you dare turn back no matter what you see or hear!" I shoved her roughly and barred the way out of the bedroom with my body so she might have a chance at escaping. I heard a shot being fired and felt a stinging pain in my side. I looked over to where Leland was. In his hand he held a pistol. He'd shot me. My eyes flickered red and locked on to him. I turned to him, snarling, my stripes jagged. I crouched then sprung at him. Rita and Tom jumped out of my way as Leland and I collided. More shots were fired and I was bleeding more and more but I felt nothing of the bullets. Leland managed to kick me in the jaw and knock me over onto my side. As he got up, he pulled out a machete and stalked towards me. I became as large as a horse when I saw the approaching danger. I got up and jumped once more at Leland and we both tumbled out of the bedroom and crashed into the banister, which broke, under our weight. We fell hard, onto the white carpet and were both winded. I felt Leland shift beneath me and another sharp pain shot through my body, starting from my right side. I was having some difficulty breathing and I staggered up to see the machete completely immersed in between my ribs. Leland had stabbed me and only the handle could be seen. Suddenly, I was knocked down as a large amount of weight came crashing onto my back. Tom had jumped from the second floor and landed on me, crushing me. Leland had gotten up as I had been examining my most recent wound and was now loading his handgun once more. I managed to throw Tom off of me and smashed my huge paw into him, and made him fly into a wall, much like a hockey puck gets smashed into the goal. I lunged at Leland, grabbing him between my saber fangs and threw him hard on top of Tom. I turned to see Rita running out the front door, cursing in her Mexican tongue.

I was looking around to see if I could find Reiko anywhere when she came running out from her hiding place beneath the staircase.

"Mom!" she cried, "Mom! Are you okay?" she jumped into my paws as I fell over to catch her.

"Reiko, oh Reiko!" I was hugging and nuzzling her, "What did I tell you? You weren't supposed to come back."

"I'm sorry mom." She sobbed, "I was scared."

"Oh, never mind that. Are you alright?" She nodded and I hugged her close to me once more.

"Well isn't that sweet?" came a mocking voice. We turned to see who had spoken so terribly of our reunion. A younger man, around the age of 18 or 19 was smirking at us. He had fiery red hair and green eyes. In his hand, he held a small, gleaming knife. He walked slowly towards us, carelessly playing with the blade.

"Reiko, run." I started pushing her away from me as I got up off the bloodstained carpet. "Get as far away from here as possible. Don't come back no matter what, do you understand me?" Reiko nodded as she hugged me before turning to go.

"I'll find you when I get out, okay Ko-Ko? I love you." she nodded once more and ran off towards the door. I saw the redhead about to run after her so I jumped at him as he threw his blade. It cut deep into my throat and I felt the hot blood trickling down my neck. I reared up and crashed down onto the redhead. I heard a few snaps and cracks. I assumed that I'd broken some of his bones when I crushed him with my paws. I was astonished to see him crawling out from under my claws and drag himself into a corner. More shots were fired and I felt the biting pain of more bullets cutting their way into my flesh. I collapsed and didn't get up. Things were getting blurry and sounds seemed far away. I faintly heard Reiko calling to me. I lifted my head feebly and saw her being chased by Leland. I guess I hadn't knocked him out after all. To my surprise, Reiko was transforming into a Youkai Beast. She looked like a miniature version of me despite the difference in fur color and texture. Her fur was brown like milk chocolate and she was quite fluffy. Her ear tufts weren't as long and elegant as mine were. They looked like the down of a chick. I was horrified when Leland pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Reiko. He fired and hit her. She cried out in pain as she fell. I had transformed back into my Human Form due to loss of blood and exhaustion. I still had my claws and fangs though. I dug my claws deep into my wounded side, bathing them in blood. I called upon my Demonic power and fired them at Leland.

"BLADES OF BLOOD!!!" I yelled as I sliced the air with my claws. The hardened blood flew off my claws and lodged themselves in Leland's arm. I saw Reiko get up and run out the door, swerving as yet another gang member came through. This one had green hair and an eye patch. He grabbed Leland by the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall. He yelled and swore at Leland who struggled to get free. The green haired member let Leland fall and threatened the redhead and Tom, who had just awakened after being knocked out. The house was empty apart from the gang member with the eye patch and me. He came running towards me.

"Get away from me…" I breathed. "Leave me alone…"

"Oh my God. Suki! I'm so sorry." The voice was that of Sven. Yet it came from this man who was now crouching over me. I tried to push him away but I had no strength left.

"Please… I'm already dying… don't hurt me more…"

"Damn it, Suki! Don't talk like that!" I looked up and saw the man for who he truly was.

"Sven…?"

"Yes, Suki."

"Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Wh-what happened to you?"

"That doesn't matter now." He cradled me in his arms and kissed me.

"Sven, I—"

"Shut up Suki. You shouldn't be talking." He kissed me again to silence me.

"Sven, this is important… I don't have much longer to live."

"God damn it Suki! Why are you saying stuff like this!? You aren't going to die." Sven seemed to be crying now. "I'm gonna take you to a hospital and their gonna make you get better. And when you're out of the hospital, we can get married and start a family."

"Sven… I'm not going to make it. It's too late to save me." I was crying now too and the pain was getting worse. "Sven, I would marry you if I knew I was going to live. I love you so much… make sure they put 'Vollfied' on my gravestone instead of 'Mikami'…" My breathing was speeding up and I knew my end was near. I had to tell him about Reiko now.

"Sven, listen to me… we have a daughter… please Sven… take care of her…" Blackness was closing in around my vision and I knew I only had moments left to live.

"Suki… what are you talking about?" Sven's topaz eye was filled with confusion, sadness and agony. I winced as my whole body was racked with a wave of pain. Sven took off his fedora and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Don't leave me Suki." He whispered into my ear.

"I'm s-sorry Sven… T-take care of our d-daughter…" I whispered back to him. "I… love… you…"

Those were the last words I'd ever spoken to my dear Sven. After the last word, I died. But I died happily though, in my Love's arms. I couldn't have asked for more.

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Please revew it! PLEASE! This is the last chapter (apart from the epilogue). I seriously need to know if you liked this story because if enough people do, I'll post a sequel. PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you think of it!!!


	16. Epilogue

Recap: A gang wanting revenge on Sven broke into Suki's house. They all got into a fight. Reiko was shot an ran away. Her whereabouts are unknown. Sven showed up and accidentally scared Suki. After exchanging a few last words, Suki died.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sven, Lloyd, Rubeck City or the name Mikami.

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Sven's P.O.V

Epilogue

"Suki…" I shook her gently. "Suki! Suki please! Wake up! Don't leave me…" I cradled by beautiful Suki in my arms as she died. As her limp body cooled, a growing hatred burned in my broken heart. Those gang bastards killed her. They killed Suki just to get to me. My tears overflowed and rolled down my cheeks. Suki's blood flowed out of her wounds and stained my hands and suit. I bowed my head and kissed her.

"Suki…" I sobbed, "Why you, Suki? Why did they have to kill you?" I held her closer to me then raised my head.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL HER YOU GOD DAMNDED BASTARDS!? IT WAS ME YOU WERE AFTER! _ME_! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KILL _ME_!? AAAHHH!!!" I continued on like this for a while then called 911. The medics told me it was too late and there was nothing that they could do. Three days later, I buried her body under a young willow tree by the glade. The same glade that Suki and I had first shown our true feelings for each other. I crouched by her grave and ran my fingers along the name engraved in the stone. 'Suki Vollfied' it read.

"I'm so sorry Suki." I murmured. "I never meant to scare you. I was one of the few agents who were going in under-cover. That's why you didn't recognize me. I had to make a few physical changes so I dyed my hair green to look like them. And the call you got that night, the line was bad and you probably misunderstood the message. I wasn't the one who died. It was Lloyd who died saving me. I lost my right eye because I'd been taken hostage by that gang. Lloyd donated his eye to me. The transplant had to be done by a specialist in America. I couldn't contact you because the gang had taken away all my weapons and means of communication. When I was out of the hospital, the head of the IBI contacted me and told me that I was off the team. And only because I'd lost an eye. After I'd been fired, I was looking for a job but I couldn't find one so I couldn't make any money to buy me a plane ticket and fly back here… back to you." I rested my head in my hands. "I'm so sorry Suki… the gang, they were after me. They left me a message telling me to hurry back here if I ever wanted to see you alive. I came as fast as I could. The only reason they killed you was to make me suffer for what I'd done to them. Their leader had been taken to the police and they were hungry for revenge. I'm so, so sorry. I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you ever again. I didn't know that was a promise I couldn't keep. I will promise you this though, and I swear to God, I'll keep this one. I will find our daughter. I'll find her and I'll keep her safe even if it kills me. I won't let anything happen to her like I let happen to you. Good bye my dear Suki… I love you for always and eternity." I placed the bouquet of roses on her grave, got up, turned around and left.

The tears were steadily flowing from my eyes as I drove over the old stone bridge that led out of town. It was time to find my daughter.

**The End**

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Well how was that for a romantic tradgedy? I know it wasn't in Sven's POV until just now but still, it was good, right?  
I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm so proud that I got around to posting it here.  
Anyhoo... Just... Please do me a favour and message me. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know if I should write a sequel.


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